双语时事：苏格兰不应与英国匆匆"分手"

2014-09-15 15:57:42来源：可可英语

　　To make matters worse, the US has done the same, if for different reasons. Theirpreoccupation with domestic matters has created a vacuum that ambitious regional powershave sought to fill.

　　更糟糕的是，美国也出现了同样的转变，尽管它是出于别的原因。被内部事务缠身的它们留下了一个真空，而野心勃勃的地区性强国企图填补这个真空。

　　The resulting breakdown of international governance has given rise to a plethora ofunresolved crises around the globe. The breakdown is most acute in the Middle East. Thesudden emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, or Isis, provides the mostgruesome example of how far it can go and how much human suffering it can cause.

　　国际治理由此出现的垮塌，在全球催生了大量有待解决的危机。这种垮塌在中东表现得最为尖锐。伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯兰国(ISIS)的突然崛起，就提供了一个最触目惊心的例子，来证明这种垮塌能发展到何种地步、以及会有多少人因此而蒙难。

　　With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, military conflict has spread to Europe. Two radicallydifferent forms of government are competing for ascendancy. The EU stands for principles ofliberal democracy, international governance and the rule of law. In Russia, President VladimirPutin maintains the outward appearance of democracy by exploiting a narrative of ethnic andreligious nationalism to generate popular support for his corrupt, authoritarian regime.

　　随着俄罗斯入侵了乌克兰，军事冲突已蔓延到欧洲。两种根本上不同的政体正在为取得支配地位而相互竞争。欧盟拥护自由民主、国际治理及法治原则。在俄罗斯，弗拉基米尔•普京(Vladimir Putin)总统则在利用族群和宗教民族主义叙事，来博得民众对其腐败威权政权的支持，维持一种表面上的民主。

　　As a major power and global financial centre, Britain ought to be centrally involved in crafting aEuropean response to this threat. But like the US and the EU itself, Britain has also beendistracted by internal matters. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron has been persuadedby anti-European zeal – not least within his own party – to put UK membership in the EU to avote in 2017.

　　面对这一威胁，欧盟需要拿出对策，作为一个主要强国及全球金融中心，英国应在制定这一对策方面发挥核心作用。但正如美国及欧盟自身一样，英国的精力也被其内部事务分散了。英国首相、保守党人戴维•卡梅伦(David Cameron)在国内强烈的反欧盟情绪——尤其是他所在政党内的反欧盟情绪——的影响下，已承诺将英国是否留在欧盟内的问题交由2017年的公投解决。

　　A poll on Scottish independence is only days away. Just when Britain should be confrontinggrave threats to its way of life, it is preoccupied with divorce of one type or another. Divorce isalways messy. A vote for Scottish independence would weaken – in political and economicterms – both a truncated UK and Scotland. An independent Scotland would be financiallyunstable, especially if threats to renege on debt repayments were carried through.

　　如今，距苏格兰独立公投只剩几天时间了。就在英国本应该应对其生活方式受到的重大威胁时，它头脑中想的却全是这样或那样的“离婚”。离婚永远都是混乱不堪的。如果公投得出支持苏格兰独立的结果，会从政治和经济两方面削弱残缺不全的联合王国以及苏格兰自己。新独立的苏格兰在金融方面将是不稳定的，尤其是在关于债务违约的威胁兑现的情况下。

　　For Scotland and the rest of the UK to enter into a currency union without a political union,after the euro crisis has demonstrated all the pitfalls, would be a retrograde step that neitherside should contemplate.

　　对苏格兰和联合王国的剩余部分来说，在没有政治联盟的情况下建立货币联盟将是一种倒退，欧元区危机已向人们展示了这样做的各种弊端，双方都不应考虑这样的选择。

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