Rarely in a US presidential election has the choice been so stark and the stakes so high. The contest between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump has provided high drama, amply demonstrated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s reckless, last-minute intervention in the saga of Mrs Clinton’s emails. But there must be no doubt about the gravity of the 2016 election, for America and the world.
美國(guó)大選很少面臨如此嚴(yán)峻且高風(fēng)險(xiǎn)的選擇。希拉里•克林頓(Hillary Clinton)和唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)的這場(chǎng)爭(zhēng)奪充滿了戲劇性,聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局(FBI)在最后一刻對(duì)希拉里郵件門的魯莽調(diào)查,更是充分證明了這一點(diǎn)。但2016年美國(guó)大選的重要性毋庸置疑,無(wú)論是對(duì)美國(guó)還是對(duì)全世界。
The international order of the past 70 years is fraying, maybe even breaking down. The Brexit vote in June likely removes a pillar of the EU. The Middle East points to a shattered system; further east, in the Pacific, China is becoming more assertive, challenging America’s dominant role in the region and the postwar Bretton Woods system. Under Vladimir Putin, Russia has become emboldened, threatening Nato’s borders, spreading havoc in Syria, and apparently orchestrating leaks to influence the US election itself.
過去70年的國(guó)際秩序正在產(chǎn)生裂痕,甚至可能崩潰。6月英國(guó)脫歐公投可能撤掉了歐盟的一根支柱。中東秩序顯然已四分五裂,遠(yuǎn)東太平洋地區(qū),中國(guó)正變得日益強(qiáng)硬,不斷挑戰(zhàn)美國(guó)在該地區(qū)以及戰(zhàn)后布雷頓森林體系(Bretton Woods)的主導(dǎo)地位。俄羅斯在總統(tǒng)弗拉基米爾•普京(Vladimir Putin)治下變得更加大膽,威脅北約邊界,在敘利亞擴(kuò)散混亂,并且顯然精心安排了泄露事件以影響美國(guó)大選本身。
This is a moment for the renewal of American leadership. One candidate has the credentials. Mrs Clinton has served as first lady, senator for New York and US secretary of state. Mr Trump deals in denigration not diplomacy. He has abused allies, threatening to remove east Asia’s nuclear umbrella, sideline Nato and unleash trade wars. Mr Trump casts himself in the role of a western strongman to stand alongside the likes of Mr Putin.
這是美國(guó)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層更迭的時(shí)刻。其中一位候選人是有資歷的。希拉里曾擔(dān)任第一夫人、紐約州參議員以及美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)卿。特朗普擅長(zhǎng)詆毀,而不是外交。他侮辱美國(guó)的盟友,威脅要撤走東亞的核保護(hù)傘、退出北約和發(fā)動(dòng)貿(mào)易戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。特朗普給自己選了個(gè)西方強(qiáng)人的角色,好與普京之類的人并肩。
Mr Trump has demonstrated contempt towards American democracy itself. He has persistently raised the prospect of a rigged election and declined, even when pressed, to guarantee he would accept the result. He has threatened to jail Mrs Clinton. Such arrogance is unprecedented and it points to a fatal flaw in his character. The first role of the president is to be commander-in-chief, in charge of the world’s largest active nuclear arsenal. Mr Trump has a thin skin and a questionable temperament. For all his many years as a reality TV host, he is simply not ready for prime time.
特朗普對(duì)美國(guó)民主本身表現(xiàn)出了蔑視。他堅(jiān)稱選舉可能受到操控,即使受到壓力,也不愿保證自己會(huì)接受結(jié)果。他威脅要囚禁希拉里。其傲慢前所未見,也表現(xiàn)出了他性格中的致命缺陷。美國(guó)總統(tǒng)的第一職責(zé)是擔(dān)任三軍統(tǒng)帥,掌管全世界最大的核武器庫(kù)。特朗普為人敏感,性情可疑。雖然他多年擔(dān)任真人秀電視節(jié)目主持人,但還不夠格在黃金時(shí)段露臉。
Yet Mrs Clinton has much to prove. To many American voters, Mrs Clinton’s decades of public service mean little. She epitomises a remote, self-serving establishment. Her campaign has lacked inspiration. She struggled against Bernie Sanders, a 74-year-old self-styled socialist from Vermont. The uncomfortable truth is that both Mr Sanders and Mr Trump have touched a nerve among voters, tapping into a cynicism about politics which has been growing steadily in the US, fuelled in part by the legacy of the 2008 global financial crisis.
但希拉里也有很多事有待考驗(yàn)。對(duì)許多美國(guó)選民來(lái)說,希拉里幾十年的公共服務(wù)并不代表什么。她是高高在上的、自私自利的權(quán)勢(shì)集團(tuán)的一個(gè)縮影。她的競(jìng)選缺乏靈感。她之前在應(yīng)對(duì)74歲、來(lái)自佛蒙特州、自詡社會(huì)主義者的伯尼•桑德斯(Bernie Sanders)的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)時(shí)頗為艱難。令人不安的是,桑德斯和特朗普都觸動(dòng)了選民的神經(jīng),抓住了人們對(duì)美國(guó)政治的懷疑,這種懷疑一直在美國(guó)滋長(zhǎng),部分是受到2008年全球金融危機(jī)造成的影響的推動(dòng)。
The American dream, so potent for immigrants and US citizens alike, has become more elusive. The middle class has been squeezed for several decades but the 1 per cent have become wealthier. Populism has staged a revival, supported by a media which have become more polarised than ever. In the search for higher ratings, too many have been happy to strike a Faustian bargain with Mr Trump.
移民和美國(guó)公民心中強(qiáng)烈的美國(guó)夢(mèng)已變得越來(lái)越難以企及。中產(chǎn)階層被壓榨了幾十年,最富的1%人群卻變得日益富有。民粹主義再度抬頭,比以往任何時(shí)候都更加兩極分化的媒體對(duì)其提供了支持。為了吸引更多眼球,有太多媒體樂意與特朗普進(jìn)行一場(chǎng)浮士德交易。
If elected, Mrs Clinton must work out how to heal the divisiveness which has characterised the 2016 election. If Mr Trump contests the result, her task will be harder. In the national interest she must show a determination to work with a fractured Republican party. This proved beyond President Barack Obama, whose fatigue with Congress verged on the fatalistic. Mrs Clinton, who has worked with ideological foes, has the chance for a fresh start.
希拉里如果當(dāng)選,必須設(shè)法彌合已成為2016年大選特點(diǎn)的分歧。如果特朗普對(duì)結(jié)果有異議,她的這項(xiàng)任務(wù)將更加艱巨。為了國(guó)家利益,她必須表現(xiàn)出與分裂的共和黨一起合作的決心。事實(shí)表明美國(guó)總統(tǒng)巴拉克•奧巴馬(Barack Obama)未能做到這一點(diǎn),他對(duì)美國(guó)國(guó)會(huì)的疲于應(yīng)對(duì)就像是聽天由命。曾與意識(shí)形態(tài)敵人合作過的希拉里有機(jī)會(huì)重新開始。
After years of gridlock, the domestic agenda is clear: tax reform, an overhaul of America’s broken immigration system and a boost to infrastructure. Mrs Clinton has a sound programme, though she would have to face down Mr Sanders and fellow Democrats bitterly opposed to a lowering of the headline corporate tax. She would also be wise to review her cynical U-turn on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, a vital building bloc in the liberal world trade order and a bridge to hard-pressed allies in Asia, notably Japan.
經(jīng)過多年的僵局,國(guó)內(nèi)議程已然明確:改革稅制,全面改革美國(guó)不健全的移民制度,以及改善基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施。希拉里有一個(gè)合理方案,不過她必須戰(zhàn)勝?gòu)?qiáng)烈反對(duì)降低總體企業(yè)稅的桑德斯和民主黨同僚。她還應(yīng)重新審視自己對(duì)《跨太平洋伙伴關(guān)系協(xié)定》(TPP)出于利己動(dòng)機(jī)的大轉(zhuǎn)變,這樣才明智。TPP是全球自由貿(mào)易秩序的一個(gè)重要組成部分,也是美國(guó)與受到強(qiáng)大壓力的亞洲盟友、尤其是日本之間的橋梁。
The 2016 election, more than any in recent memory, is a test for the legitimacy of the US political system, with profound implications for the liberal world order. Mrs Clinton carries enough baggage to fill a Boeing 747. She is not trusted by the majority of voters.
2016年大選是對(duì)美國(guó)政治制度合法性的一場(chǎng)考驗(yàn),并將對(duì)全球自由秩序產(chǎn)生深遠(yuǎn)影響,其重要性超過近期記憶中的歷次大選。希拉里背負(fù)著沉重的包袱。她沒有得到絕大多數(shù)選民的信任。
But she is manifestly more competent than Mr Trump whose braggadocio, divisiveness and meanness are on daily display. Despite her faults, Mrs Clinton is eminently qualified to be the first woman elected to the White House. She has the Financial Times’ endorsement.
可是她顯然比特朗普更能勝任,后者日日上演著自吹自擂、挑撥離間和卑鄙惡劣。盡管犯過錯(cuò)誤,希拉里依然有資格成為第一位獲選執(zhí)掌白宮的女性。英國(guó)《金融時(shí)報(bào)》支持她。