社评：美国嗜战，世界遭殃| US war record not one to boast of

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was grilled by lawmakers in acontentious hearing on Monday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee over how the administration hadmishandled the military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
美国国务卿安东尼•布林肯周一在众议院外交事务委员会就从阿富汗撤军问题举行的争议性听证会上受到议员们的盘问。

They called the process "a disaster" and "a disgrace". They tried to seek answers as to why Americans and Afghans who had worked for the US government for years were left behind in total chaos before the military completed its withdrawal on Aug 30. They demanded accountability.
他们称这个过程为“一场灾难”和“耻辱”。他们试图找出答案，为什么在8月30日军方完成撤军之前，为美国政府工作多年的美国人和阿富汗人被抛在了完全混乱局面的后面。他们要求追究责任。

Yet what they forgot or chose not to ask is why the United States had got itselfmired in the mess of the "Graveyard of Empires" in the first place. To ensure the US avoids repeating the same mistake in the years to come, they should have taken the opportunity to start a collective soul-searching into why the world's sole superpower is so addicted to wars. According to National Interest magazine, from 1948 to 1991, the US engaged in 46 military interventions. From 1992 to 2017 the number increased fourfold to 188.
然而，他们忘记或不问的是，为什么美国一开始就陷入了“帝国坟场”的混乱之中。为了确保美国在未来几年避免重蹈覆辙，他们本应借此机会开始集体反省，研究为什么这个世界上唯一的超级大国如此沉迷于战争。据《国家利益》杂志报道，从1948年至1991年，美国进行了46次军事干预。从1992年至2017年，这一数字增加了四倍，达到188。

Actually, the US has enjoyed only 16 years of peace in its 242-year history, making the country "the most warlike nation in the history of the world", as former US president Jimmy Carter noted in 2019 when he spoke with thenincumbent leader Donald Trump. Carter attributed thepenchant for war to the US trying to force other countries to "adopt our American principles".
事实上，美国在242年的历史中只享有了16年的和平，使美国成为“世界历史上最好战的国家”，正如美国前总统吉米·卡特在2019年与当时的现任总统唐纳德·特朗普交谈时指出的那样。卡特将美国嗜站归因于总是迫使其他国家“采纳我们美国的原则”。

Wars are costly, and it is US taxpayers who foot the bill. The war on terror that started in 2001, has cost the US an estimated $8 trillion, and claimed over 900,000 lives around the world over the past two decades, according to a report issued recently by the Costs of War Project of Brown University. The war in Afghanistan alone has cost $2.3 trillion. That represents $300 million a day over the 20 years.
战争代价高昂，而买单的是美国纳税人。布朗大学一项“战争成本项目”课题组最近发布的一份报告显示，始于2001年的反恐战争，在过去20年中，已使美国损失了约8万亿美元，并夺去了全世界90多万人的生命。仅阿富汗战争就花费了2.3万亿美元。这相当于20年来每天花费3亿美元。

Yet despite the high costs, some in the US may still believe the wars that Washington initiates are worth it as they are convinced by the rhetoric that they are launched for noble purposes — to free people from tyranny and repression, or in defense of freedom, democracy and human rights. But the fact is, concerns about US power and influence have risen in many countries around the world. According to a 2017 Pew survey, 39 percent of the respondents across 38 countries consider US influence and power a direct and major threat to their countries.
然而，尽管代价很高，但美国一些人可能仍然认为美国发动的战争是值得的，因为他们相信，这些战争是为了高尚的目的——使人民摆脱暴政和镇压，或捍卫自由、民主和人权。但事实是，世界上许多国家因美国的实力和影响力而逐渐担忧。根据2017年皮尤调查，38个国家的39%的受访者认为美国的影响力和权力对其国家构成直接重大威胁。

It is time the US learned the lessons of its failed wars. The world does not want its declaration that "America is back" to be a promise of more wars to come.

现在是美国从失败的战争中吸取教训的时候了。世界不希望其宣称的“美国回来了”成为未来带来更多战争宣告。

1. contentious

美 [kən'tenʃəs] 英 [kən'tenʃəs]

adj.可能引起争论的；爱争论的；充满争吵的

网络：好争吵的；有争议的；引起争议的

2. mishandle

美 [mɪs'hænd(ə)l] 英 [mɪs'hænd(ə)l]

v.用错；瞎弄；虐待；办错

网络：胡乱操作的；乱弄；不能处理

3. mired

美 [maɪrd] 英 [maɪə(r)d]

adj.陷入困境；处境艰难；陷入泥沼；深陷泥潭

网络：使……深陷泥潭；陷於困境；麦瑞德

4. incumbent

美 [ɪn'kʌmbənt] 英 [ɪn'kʌmbənt]

n.在职者；现任者

adj.在职的；现任的；有责任；必须履行

网络：义不容辞的；任职者；职责所在的

5. penchant

美 ['penʃənt] 英 ['pɒʃɑn]

n.爱好；嗜爱

网络：倾向；嗜好；强烈的倾向

美国嗜战 世界遭殃 03:09 Share

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美国嗜战世界遭殃