经济学人27:云计算 Cloud computing

 　　Books and Arts;America and Iran;Cloud computing¹;

　　文艺；美伊问题;云计算;

　　A Single Roll of the Dice²: Obama's Diplomacy³ with Iran, by Trita Parsi.

　　《孤注一掷：奥巴马的对伊政策》;特里塔·帕塞著;

　　With dark rumours⁴ swirling⁵ of an attack on Iran's nuclear programme, this new book by Trita Parsi is well-timed. The founder⁶ of the National Iranian American Council in Washington, DC, details American diplomacy with the Islamic Republic under Barack Obama. His analysis of the grim stalemate that has characterised relations between the Great Satan and the mullahs since 1979 is both absorbing and frustrating⁷. It is a tale of missed opportunities, obduracy⁸ and short-sightedness, all which are pushing the Middle East towards greater instability.

　　特里塔·帕塞新作的面世，伴随着针对伊朗核计划的漫天谣言，来的正是时候。作者曾创立了位于华盛顿特区的伊朗裔美国人全国理事会，在本书中，他详细阐述了奥巴马领导下的美国政府对伊斯兰共和国的外交路线。自1979年起，“大魔头”和“毛拉”之间的关系一直深陷僵局，作者对这一严峻状态的分析既引人入胜又令人沮丧，书中讲述了中东是如何因为错失良机、顽固执拗、目光短浅等缺点而一步步陷入更大的动荡之中。

　　Under George Bush, America's relationship with Iran festered. The two powers collaborated⁹ occasionally in Afghanistan, but with America driven by the premise¹⁰ that “we don't speak to evil”, detente was a distant possibility. America saw negotiations¹¹ not as a tool of diplomacy but as a reward to be granted only to those states that had proved they were deserving of them. Iran, grouped with North Korea and Iraq as part of the “axis of evil”, was not.

　　在乔治·布什领导期间，美伊关系交恶。两国曾在阿富汗事务上有过数次合作，但随着美国将“不与罪恶结交”作为外交前提，两国和解变得遥遥无期。对美国而言，协商不是一种外交手段，而是一个嘉奖，只有那些能证明自己值得交往的国家才配和美国进行协商。作为和朝鲜、伊拉克为伍的“邪恶轴心国”，伊朗自然是不够格的。

　　The inauguration¹² of a new president who from the start promised the Muslim world respect and who offered the hand of American friendship to those willing to unclench their fist, prompted stirrings of hope, both in Iran and beyond, that this could be a new start. (Farsi speakers also noted¹³ that Obama means “He is with us”.)

　　新任总统在参选之初就郑重保证，将尊重穆斯林，并把美国的友好传达给所有愿意松开拳头的伊朗人。他的就职演讲给伊朗乃至整个穆斯林世界带来了一丝希望，新的开始仿佛就在眼前。（伊朗人还认为，奥巴马是“和我们站在一起的”）

　　But the bitter mistrust that divides Iran and America, and the domestic considerations of leaders on both sides, eroded¹⁴ that initial optimism. Time and again in negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme, America and its allies assumed Iranian duplicity and insincerity. For their part, the Iranians saw in America's outstretched hand only the determination to snatch from their country its independence, rights and potential.

　　然而仇视和不信任导致美伊两国决裂，加之双方领导人推行了一系列国内政策，这些都扑灭了尚在襁褓的希望之火。随着一次次对伊朗核计划的探讨，美国及其盟友们将伊朗视作伪善的骗子，而在伊朗看来，美国插手伊朗事务，就是为了剥夺他们的独立，权利和潜在的能力。

　　Even during the deepest chill of the cold war, America and Russia found ways of talking. Today a frozen silence stretches from Tehran to Washington. “When you don't know what's going on, and you don't feel like you have somebody you can communicate with on the other side of the table, you are going to revert¹⁵ back to what's safe…and what's safe in the Iran context is demonization and just general negativity,” explains an American official.

　　即便是在冷战最僵持的时期，美苏两国也曾设法进行沟通，而今，弥漫在伊朗和美国之间的是冰冷的沉默。“当你对现状毫无头绪，谈判桌上又话不投机，你就会退回到安全的状态，而在伊朗看来，所谓的安全状态就是将美国妖魔化，挑起大众的消极情绪。”一位美国官员如是解释。

　　Iran's reluctance¹⁶ to engage goes deeper: “Tehran cannot come to terms with Washington without risking an internal identity and legitimacy¹⁷ crisis.” Animosity towards America is written into the Islamic Republic's DNA¹⁸. If the relationship is restored, “we will dissolve ourselves,” admits Amir Mohebian, an Iranian conservative.

　　伊朗的抵触情绪则日渐深重。“伊朗要重回谈判桌，就得冒着国家身份缺失和合法性危机的风险。”对美国的仇恨铭刻在伊斯兰共和国的血液里，伊朗保守派人士埃米尔·莫比安表示，一旦美伊关系恢复，“伊朗将会自我毁灭”。

　　But diplomacy with Iran, maintains Mr Parsi, has never been pursued to the point of exhaustion¹⁹. Look at Libya (before the recent uprising), Vietnam and Northern Ireland, he insists, and the painstaking²⁰ years of quiet discussions with each of them. The talks between America and Iran, a few weeks here, a fortnight there, have never matched that. The approach has focused on the nuclear issue to the exclusion²¹ of all others, a take-it-or-leave-it attitude that has always been doomed²². Negotiations such as these succeed not because the proposals are flawless or because both sides play fair, but “because the many flaws associated with the talks are overcome by the political will to reach a solution”.

　　但帕塞表示，美方与伊朗的外交关系远没有走到尽头。他认为，和（暴动之前的）利比亚，越南和北爱尔兰，以及与它们多年痛苦而漫长的讨论协商相比，美伊两国间或进行的短期谈判绝对算不了什么。美伊接触的焦点一直围绕着核问题展开，回避了其他问题，双方态度也僵持在要么全盘接受，要么统统滚蛋的状态。而纵观那些成功的协商谈判，并不是因为提议有多么完美，或是谈判双方有多么公正，而是“因为希望解决问题的政治意愿克服了谈判中出现的种种缺憾”。

　　That political will, says Mr Parsi, has been absent. The mutual²³ mistrust has left no margin²⁴ for error. Neither has seen any domestic political benefit in pushing for a serious settlement. And now, with the tick-tocking of the nuclear clock growing ever more insistent²⁵, reconciliation²⁶ looks less and less likely. The enmity between America and Iran, stoked by three decades of demonising each other, is no longer a phenomenon, concludes Mr Parsi. “It is an institution.”

　　帕塞认为，美伊缺少的正是这种政治意愿。双方互不信任，因而无法容忍对方的任何过失，加之没有任何国内政治利益能推动美伊冲突得到切实解决。而现在，随着伊朗核武器的日渐面世，美伊和解的可能越来越小。30多年来，美伊两国相互攻击诋毁，两国间的敌对状态已经不再是一个现象，引用帕塞的话来说，“这已然是个习俗。”

1 computing   

n.计算

参考例句：

• to work in computing 从事信息处理
• Back in the dark ages of computing, in about 1980, they started a software company. 早在计算机尚未普及的时代（约1980年），他们就创办了软件公司。

2 dice   

n.骰子；vt.把（食物）切成小方块，冒险

参考例句：

• They were playing dice.他们在玩掷骰子游戏。
• A dice is a cube.骰子是立方体。

3 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

4 rumours   

n.传闻( rumour的名词复数 )；风闻；谣言；谣传

参考例句：

• The rumours were completely baseless. 那些谣传毫无根据。
• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。

5 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

6 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

7 frustrating   

adj.产生挫折的，使人沮丧的，令人泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的现在分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's frustrating to have to wait so long. 要等这么长时间，真令人懊恼。
• It was a demeaning and ultimately frustrating experience. 那是一次有失颜面并且令人沮丧至极的经历。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 obduracy   

n.冷酷无情，顽固，执拗

参考例句：

• Nuclear warhead has stronger obduracy which induces more effect on society. 具有较强顽固性的印度核弹头技术，造成了较大的社会影响。 来自互联网

9 collaborated   

合作( collaborate的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾结叛国

参考例句：

• We have collaborated on many projects over the years. 这些年来我们合作搞了许多项目。
• We have collaborated closely with the university on this project. 我们与大学在这个专案上紧密合作。

10 premise   

n.前提；v.提论，预述

参考例句：

• Let me premise my argument with a bit of history.让我引述一些史实作为我立论的前提。
• We can deduce a conclusion from the premise.我们可以从这个前提推出结论。

11 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。

12 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

13 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

14 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。

15 revert   

v.恢复，复归，回到

参考例句：

• Let us revert to the earlier part of the chapter.让我们回到本章的前面部分。
• Shall we revert to the matter we talked about yesterday?我们接着昨天谈过的问题谈，好吗？

16 reluctance   

n.厌恶，讨厌，勉强，不情愿

参考例句：

• The police released Andrew with reluctance.警方勉强把安德鲁放走了。
• He showed the greatest reluctance to make a reply.他表示很不愿意答复。

17 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

18 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

19 exhaustion   

n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述

参考例句：

• She slept the sleep of exhaustion.她因疲劳而酣睡。
• His exhaustion was obvious when he fell asleep standing.他站着睡着了，显然是太累了。

20 painstaking   

adj.苦干的；艰苦的，费力的，刻苦的

参考例句：

• She is not very clever but she is painstaking.她并不很聪明，但肯下苦功夫。
• Through years of our painstaking efforts,we have at last achieved what we have today.大家经过多少年的努力，才取得今天的成绩。

21 exclusion   

n.拒绝，排除，排斥，远足，远途旅行

参考例句：

• Don't revise a few topics to the exclusion of all others.不要修改少数论题以致排除所有其他的。
• He plays golf to the exclusion of all other sports.他专打高尔夫球，其他运动一概不参加。

22 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

23 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。

24 margin   

n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘

参考例句：

• We allowed a margin of 20 minutes in catching the train.我们有20分钟的余地赶火车。
• The village is situated at the margin of a forest.村子位于森林的边缘。

25 insistent   

adj.迫切的，坚持的

参考例句：

• There was an insistent knock on my door.我听到一阵急促的敲门声。
• He is most insistent on this point.他在这点上很坚持。

26 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。