普京在《纽约时报》发表的公开信

 Moscow—Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient¹ communication between our societies.

如今围绕着叙利亚发生的种种事件推动着我向美国人民和政治领袖直接对话，尤其是在我们两个社会间欠缺沟通的时候。

Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis² together. The universal international organization—the United Nations—was then established to prevent such devastation³ from ever happening again.

我们两个国家的关系经历了不同的阶段。冷战时，我们互相对抗；但我们也曾是盟友，共同击败纳粹。国际组织——联合国——也是为了防止此类冲突而成立的。

The United Nations’ founders⁴ understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus⁵, and with America’s consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned⁶ the stability of international relations for decades.

联合国的建立者们明白，涉及战争与和平的决策应该在共识下进行，由安理会投票体现联合国宪章精神。这种智慧博大精深，在几十年来为国际关系的稳定奠定了基础。

普京在《纽约时报》发表的公开信

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed⁷ because it lacked real leverage⁸. This is possible if influential⁹ countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization¹⁰.

没有人希望联合国遭遇国际联盟的下场，1946年国际联盟的解散正是因为它缺乏真正的杠杆作用。而如果一些有影响力的国家绕过联合国，在未获得安理会授权之下发动军事攻击，联合国可能也会重蹈国际联盟之覆辙。

The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition¹¹ from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation¹², potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria’s borders. A strike would increase violence and unleash¹³ a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance.

美国即将对叙利亚发动的军事攻击，就遭到了许多国家、主要政治、宗教领袖的强烈反对。军事干预将导致更多无辜的受害者和暴力升级，甚至这将蔓延至叙利亚边境。一次军事打击可能会引发暴力冲突以及新一轮的恐怖主义浪潮。它可能会破坏多方解决伊朗核问题和巴以冲突的努力，并进一步摧毁中东北非地区。它甚至可能会引发整个国际法体系的失衡。

Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country. There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government. The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organizations. This internal conflict, fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest¹⁴ in the world.

叙利亚的冲突并未是为民主而战，而是一场政府和不同国家反对派的武装冲突。在叙利亚，几乎没有民主的获胜者，倒是会出现更多“基地”组织成员和极端分子与政府为敌。美国国务院已经确定一些恐怖组织与反对派为伍，这场反对派使用着国外武器援助的内部冲突，是世界上最血腥的场景之一。

Mercenaries from Arab countries fighting there, and hundreds of militants¹⁵ from Western countries and even Russia, are an issue of our deep concern. Might they not return to our countries with experience acquired in Syria? After all, after fighting in Libya, extremists moved on to Mali. This threatens us all.

来自阿拉伯国家的雇佣军在那里战斗，数百名西方国家甚至俄罗斯的武装分子也在那里。这引发了我们严重关切。他们会不会在叙利亚获得战斗经验后返回国家？毕竟，曾在利比亚战斗过的极端分子已经潜进马里。这是对我们所有人的威胁。

From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today’s complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos¹⁶. The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression¹⁷.

从一开始，俄罗斯就主张和平对话，让叙利亚人为自己的未来制定一个妥协方案。我们不会保护叙利亚政府，但国际法会。我们需要通过联合国安理会在今天复杂动荡的世界中维持治安和秩序，这是避免国际关系陷入混乱的为数不多的途径之一。国际法就是法律，无论喜欢与否，我们都必须遵循。根据现行国际法，军事干预仅在自卫或由安理会批准后才可施行。在联合国宪章之下的其他任何行为都是不可接受的，甚至可能构成侵略。

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention¹⁸ by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored.

没有人怀疑叙利亚发生了化学武器袭击。但仍有充分的理由相信，使用化武的并非政府军，而是反对派武装在外国援助的情况下煽动局势。还有报道称，武装分子正在酝酿另一次袭击——这次是针对以色列。

It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely¹⁹ on brute²⁰ force, cobbling coalitions²¹ together under the slogan “you’re either with us or against us.”

令人震惊的是，军事干预他国内部冲突似乎已成为美国的家常便饭。这是美国的长期利益吗？我对此表示怀疑。世界上数百万人越来越发现，美国不再是民主典范，而是依靠蛮力、联合盟友号召“你要么支持我们，要么就是反对我们”的国家。

But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans²². In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.

然而，武力已被证明无效且毫无意义。阿富汗局势仍旧混乱，没有人能够预测国际部队撤出后会发生什么。利比亚被部落和党派瓜分。内战继续在伊拉克蔓延，每天都有数十人遇害。在美国，许多人都将伊拉克和叙利亚作类比，质问政府为何一而再再而三犯同样的错误。

No matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian²³ casualties are inevitable²⁴, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes are meant to protect.

无论军事打击多么有针对性，武器有多么精良，平民的伤亡都是是不可避免的，包括老人和儿童，而军事打击最初的本意是为了保护他们。

The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. We are left with talk of the need to strengthen nonproliferation, when in reality this is being eroded²⁵.

世界多国仍疑虑重重：如果你不能指望国际法，那你必须寻找其他的方式保卫安全。因此越来越多的国家通过获得大规模杀伤性武器自卫。尽管我们不断加大禁止核武器扩散的对话，但这一现实问题仍日渐突出。

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized²⁶ diplomatic and political settlement.

我们必须停止用武力的手段，应转而寻求文明的外交政治途径。　

A new opportunity to avoid military action has emerged in the past few days. The United States, Russia and all members of the international community must take advantage of the Syrian government’s willingness to place its chemical arsenal²⁷ under international control for subsequent destruction. Judging by the statements of President Obama, the United States sees this as an alternative to military action.

在过去的几天里已经出现了一个新的避免军事行动的机会。美国、俄罗斯和国际社会的所有成员必须在叙利亚政府的意愿下将化学武器转至国际控制后销毁。从奥巴马总统的声明看来，美国认为这可以替代军事行动。

I welcome the president’s interest in continuing the dialogue with Russia on Syria. We must work together to keep this hope alive, as we agreed to at the Group of 8 meeting in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in June, and steer²⁸ the discussion back toward negotiations²⁹.

我欢迎美国总统保持与俄罗斯就叙利亚局势继续对话的兴趣。我们必须共同努力，比如今年6月我们参加G8峰会时进行谈判。

If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual³⁰ trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.

如果我们可以避免对叙利亚动用武力，这将会提高国际事务中互信的氛围。这将是我们共同的成果，也为今后其他棘手的国际事务打开了合作的大门。

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings³¹, we must not forget that God created us equal.

我与奥巴马总统的个人和工作关系的互信程度正在提高。我对此表示感激。我仔细地研究了他本月10日发表的全国讲话。我并不同意他所说的美国特殊主义的观点，他说，美国的政策使“美国不同，令我们与众不同”。怂恿人们认为自己特殊是非常危险的事，无论出于何种动机。世界上有大国和小国，富国和贫国；有民主化成熟的国家与正在寻找民主之路的国家。他们的政策也不尽相同。我们都是不同的，但当我们寻求上帝的祝福时，我们不能忘记，上帝待众生平等。

1 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

2 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 founders   

n.创始人( founder的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was one of the founders of the university's medical faculty. 他是该大学医学院的创建人之一。 来自辞典例句
• The founders of our religion made this a cornerstone of morality. 我们宗教的创始人把这看作是道德的基石。 来自辞典例句

5 consensus   

n.(意见等的)一致，一致同意，共识

参考例句：

• Can we reach a consensus on this issue?我们能在这个问题上取得一致意见吗？
• What is the consensus of opinion at the afternoon meeting?下午会议上一致的意见是什么？

6 underpinned   

v.用砖石结构等从下面支撑（墙等）( underpin的过去式和过去分词 )；加固（墙等）的基础；为（论据、主张等）打下基础；加强

参考例句：

• The report is underpinned by extensive research. 这份报告以广泛的研究为基础。
• The statue of Diana was underpinned with charred piles. Diana雕像是建造在炭化了的木桩上的。 来自辞典例句

7 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

8 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

9 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

10 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

11 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

12 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

13 unleash   

vt.发泄，发出；解带子放开

参考例句：

• They hope to create allies to unleash against diseases,pests,and invasive species.他们希望创造出一些新群体来对付疾病、害虫和一些有侵害性的物种。
• Changing water levels now at times unleash a miasma of disease from exposed sewage.如今，大坝不时地改变水位，从暴露的污水释放出了疾病瘴气。

14 bloodiest   

adj.血污的( bloody的最高级 )；流血的；屠杀的；残忍的

参考例句：

• The Russians were going to suffer their bloodiest defeat of all before Berlin. 俄国人在柏林城下要遭到他们的最惨重的失败。 来自辞典例句
• It was perhaps the bloodiest hour in the history of warfare. 这也许是战争史上血腥味最浓的1个小时。 来自互联网

15 militants   

激进分子，好斗分子( militant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The militants have been sporadically fighting the government for years. 几年来，反叛分子一直对政府实施零星的战斗。
• Despite the onslaught, Palestinian militants managed to fire off rockets. 尽管如此，巴勒斯坦的激进分子仍然发射导弹。

16 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

17 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

18 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

19 solely   

adv.仅仅，唯一地

参考例句：

• Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
• The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。

20 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

21 coalitions   

结合体，同盟( coalition的名词复数 )； （两党或多党）联合政府

参考例句：

• History testifies to the ineptitude of coalitions in waging war. 历史昭示我们，多数国家联合作战，其进行甚为困难。
• All the coalitions in history have disintegrated sooner or later. 历史上任何联盟迟早都垮台了。

22 clans   

宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派

参考例句：

• There are many clans in European countries. 欧洲国家有很多党派。
• The women were the great power among the clans [gentes], as everywhere else. 妇女在克兰〈氏族〉里，乃至一般在任何地方，都有很大的势力。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

23 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

24 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

25 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

26 civilized   

a.有教养的，文雅的

参考例句：

• Racism is abhorrent to a civilized society. 文明社会憎恶种族主义。
• rising crime in our so-called civilized societies 在我们所谓文明社会中日益增多的犯罪行为

27 arsenal   

n.兵工厂，军械库

参考例句：

• Even the workers at the arsenal have got a secret organization.兵工厂工人暗中也有组织。
• We must be the great arsenal of democracy.我们必须成为民主的大军火库。

28 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

29 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

30 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

31 blessings   

n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福

参考例句：

• Afflictions are sometimes blessings in disguise. 塞翁失马，焉知非福。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We don't rely on blessings from Heaven. 我们不靠老天保佑。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》