（转贴）纽约时报：中国非常强大，美国人需要反省

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美国专栏作家托马斯·佛雷德里曼在观看了北京奥运会后，在《纽约时报》发表了一篇文章《中国7年的腾飞和美国7年的衰落》（A Biblical Seven Years; by Thomas Friedman），谈到了美国人对北京奥运会的自我反省及得到的启示，今摘录如下：


　　观看过北京奥运壮观的奥运会，感受到数以百计的中国鼓手带来的震荡，我很容易得出两个总结：“天啊，这个国家的活力是无可匹敌的。”还有：“开始教孩子们中文吧。”

　　然而，多年的经验告诉我，不要过度诠释任何为期两周的事件。奥运没有改变历史。它仅仅是快照——一个国家摆出最好的姿势让全世界看。不过，诚如快照所示，透过奥运呈现的中国真的非常强大——而且美国人需要在这个选举季节反省。

　　宏伟的奥运基础设施，无与伦比的开幕与闭幕式，这些不是由于那种突然发现石油的偶然运气。不是那样的，而是七年的国家投资、计划、集中国力、全国动员以及努力工作的高潮。

　　七年……七年……哦，没错。中国在2001年7月13日获得奥运主办权——刚好在911恐怖袭击发生的两个月前。

　　当我坐在鸟巢的座位上，看着数以千计的中国舞者、鼓手、歌者以及特技演员在表演闭幕式的魔术，我不禁思考中国和美国如何度过过去的七年：中国在为奥运准备；我们在为基地组织准备。他们在建造更好的体育馆、地铁、机场、道路和公园。我们在建造更好的金属探测仪、装甲车和无人驾驶飞机。

　　差异开始显现。抵达纽约市La Guardia机场笨拙的航站楼，驱车走过曼哈顿摇摇欲坠的基础设施，再和抵达上海时髦的机场，乘坐时速220英里的磁悬浮列车的体验比较一下。然后自问：到底是谁生活在第三世界国家？

　　没错，如果你从北京往外走，驱车一个小时就会看到中国广阔的、非常贫穷的第三世界。但新意在于：中国的富裕部分，北京或上海或大连的现代部分，如今比富裕的美国要先进。建筑更为有趣，无线网络更为先进，道路和火车更为有效，更加好。我再说一遍，他们做到这一切幷非因为发现石油。他们是通过挖掘自身来达到的。

　　我意识到了差异：我们遭遇911袭击；他们没有。我们不得不回应911，至少要铲除基地组织在阿富汗的基地，幷加强国土安全。他们可以回避外国纠缠。然而，试图在伊拉克建立民主是一场选择之战，而且不大可能产生与其代价相等的东西。

　　当你看到中国自2001年以来在奥运的标语下建造多少现代基础设施，当你看到美国自2001年以来在反恐战争的标语下推迟多少基础设施建设，你就会明白未来的七年必须投入美国的国家建设。

　　我们需要尽快完成我们在伊拉克和阿富汗的事务，当伊拉克议会去度假而13万美军却在站岗，那是很滑稽的。在伊拉克人在争论是否要搞他们的国家建设的时候，我们再也不能推迟我们的国家建设。

　　奥巴马之所以能走到今天，是因为很多选民期望他是带领美国复兴的领导。他们知道我们现在需要搞国家建设——不是在伊拉克，不是在阿富汗，不是在格鲁吉亚，而是在美国。奥巴马不要错过这个主旋律。

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http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/opinion/27friedman.html


A Biblical Seven Years

by Thomas Friedman



After attending the spectacular closing ceremony at the BeijingOlympics and feeling the vibrations from hundreds of Chinese drummerspulsating in my own chest, I was tempted to conclude two things: “Holymackerel, the energy coming out of this country is unrivaled.” And,two: “We are so cooked. Start teaching your kids Mandarin.”



However, I’ve learned over the years not to over-interpret any two-weekevent. Olympics don’t change history. They are mere snapshots — acountry posing in its Sunday bests for all the world too see. But, assnapshots go, the one China presented through the Olympics wasenormously powerful — and it’s one that Americans need to reflect uponthis election season.


China did not build the magnificent $43billion infrastructure for these games, or put on the unparalleledopening and closing ceremonies, simply by the dumb luck of discoveringoil. No, it was the culmination of seven years of national investment,planning, concentrated state power, national mobilization and hard work.


Sevenyears ... Seven years ... Oh, that’s right. China was awarded theseOlympic Games on July 13, 2001 — just two months before 9/11.



AsI sat in my seat at the Bird’s Nest, watching thousands of Chinesedancers, drummers, singers and acrobats on stilts perform their magicat the closing ceremony, I couldn’t help but reflect on how China andAmerica have spent the last seven years: China has been preparing forthe Olympics; we’ve been preparing for Al Qaeda. They’ve been buildingbetter stadiums, subways, airports, roads and parks. And we’ve beenbuilding better metal detectors, armored Humvees and pilotless drones.


Thedifference is starting to show. Just compare arriving at La Guardia’sdumpy terminal in New York City and driving through the crumblinginfrastructure into Manhattan with arriving at Shanghai’s sleek airportand taking the 220-mile-per-hour magnetic levitation train, which useselectromagnetic propulsion instead of steel wheels and tracks, to getto town in a blink.


Then ask yourself: Who is living in the third world country?


Yes, if you drive an hour out of Beijing, you meet the vast dirt-poorthird world of China. But here’s what’s new: The rich parts of China,the modern parts of Beijing or Shanghai or Dalian, are now more stateof the art than rich America. The buildings are architecturally moreinteresting, the wireless networks more sophisticated, the roads andtrains more efficient and nicer. And, I repeat, they did not get allthis by discovering oil. They got it by digging inside themselves.
Irealize the differences: We were attacked on 9/11; they were not. Wehave real enemies; theirs are small and mostly domestic. We had torespond to 9/11 at least by eliminating the Al Qaeda base inAfghanistan and investing in tighter homeland security. They couldavoid foreign entanglements. Trying to build democracy in Iraq, though,which I supported, was a war of choice and is unlikely to ever produceanything equal to its huge price tag.


But the first rule of holesis that when you’re in one, stop digging. When you see how much moderninfrastructure has been built in China since 2001, under the banner ofthe Olympics, and you see how much infrastructure has been postponed inAmerica since 2001, under the banner of the war on terrorism, it’sclear that the next seven years need to be devoted to nation-buildingin America.


We need to finish our business in Iraq andAfghanistan as quickly as possible, which is why it is a travesty thatthe Iraqi Parliament has gone on vacation while 130,000 U.S. troops arestanding guard. We can no longer afford to postpone our nation-buildingwhile Iraqis squabble over whether to do theirs.


A lot of peopleare now advising Barack Obama to get dirty with John McCain. Sure,fight fire with fire. That’s necessary, but it is not sufficient.


Obamagot this far because many voters projected onto him that he could bethe leader of an American renewal. They know we need nation-building athome now — not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, not in Georgia, but inAmerica. Obama cannot lose that theme.



He cannot letRepublicans make this election about who is tough enough to stand up toRussia or bin Laden. It has to be about who is strong enough, focusedenough, creative enough and unifying enough to get Americans to rebuildAmerica. The next president can have all the foreign affairs experiencein the world, but it will be useless, utterly useless, if we, as acountry, are weak.



Obama is more right than he knows when heproclaims that this is “our” moment, this is “our” time. But it is ourtime to get back to work on the only home we have, our time fornation-building in America. I never want to tell my girls — and I’msure Obama feels the same about his — that they have to go to China tosee the future.

[ 本帖最后由 pp95 于 2008-8-29 21:21 编辑 ]