美國人眼中最"玄乎"的國家和地區
美國《外交政策》雜誌網站8月7日發表了美國學者David Rothkopf的文章，題目是 The world's 10 most dangerous countries（全世界十大最危險國家和地區），他的觀點在美國和西方很有代表性，值得中國讀者參考研究。在這份名單中，美國是排在第一位最具危險性的國家，David Rothkopf的理由很簡單：因爲美國太強大了，翻一個錯誤就會影響整個世界，自然就是最危險的。而中國排在了第二，也是因爲中國太強大了，但是中國自己卻不承認，因而不承擔相應責任造成了世界系統失衡的危險。
10. 委內瑞拉（Venezuela）
Ok, Chávez won't start any world wars. But think of his disruptive reach around the hemisphere, his support for the FARC, and his cultivation of ties to Russia, China and the Middle East and its clear this is the one guy who is most likely to disrupt lives in Latin America for the foreseeable future.
不錯，查韋斯可能沒有興趣挑起世界大戰，但是他支援哥倫比亞游擊隊、與俄羅斯、中國和一些中東國家關係密切。委內瑞拉是最有可能影響拉丁美洲穩定的勢力之一。
9. 伊拉克和沙特阿拉伯 （Iraq and Saudi Arabia） (並列)
The final chapter has not been written in Iraq. Saddam may not have posed the threat Bush ascribed to him, but the fragmentation of this country (particularly in Kurdistan) could be massively destabilizing in the region and create real problems with Turkey, Iran, and Russia. The Saudis support terror, their succession picture is murky, they are likely to be one of the first to respond to Iranian nukes with a program of their own, and they pull key levers in OPEC. Hard not to include them, too.
伊拉克戰爭讓這個國家陷入分裂的深淵，影響了整個地區的穩定，給土耳其、伊朗、俄羅斯帶來大麻煩。沙特阿拉伯支援恐怖勢力，本身繼承問題尚存變數，他們很可能是對伊朗核計劃威脅做出最快反應並開始自己的核計劃的國家之一。此外，他們還掌握着石油輸出國家組織的權力槓桿。
8. 歐盟 The European Union
Europe should be a force for stability in the world. But an EU without an effective foreign policy mechanism, without the ability to shoulder its share of the military burden associated with keeping the world safe, with a faltering Euro and with too many new members is a big void where the world needs strength. Sometimes the greatest threat comes from those who could take action to preserve stability but who do not.
歐洲本該是維護世界穩定的一支重要力量，但卻因爲沒有有效的外交政策機制、沒有擔負起維護世界安全軍事重任的能力。加上蹣跚的歐元和太多新成員加入，導致其缺乏力量。有時候，最大的危險恰好來自於那些有能力維持世界穩定、但卻對此毫無作爲的國家。
7. 尼日利亞和剛果(金) （ Nigeria and Congo ）（並列）
Nigeria is the biggest country on a continent that is increasingly important to the world for oil and other resources. It is a major player in the global energy scene. And it faces multiple threats both internally and from a truly scary neighborhood. Congo is the site of the world's most deadly conflict of the past decade and both a metaphor and hub for the kind of regional fracturing that make instability in Africa one of the things most worrying to U.S. and European military commanders.
尼日利亞是非洲大陸上的最大國家，憑藉石油和其他資源，非洲對世界的重要性正不斷增加。但是尼日利亞面臨着嚴峻的國內問題，外加實在令人擔憂的鄰國。過去10年間，剛果(金)是世界上衝突最血腥的地區，是整個非洲地區不穩定的重要因素，也是令美國和歐盟軍事指揮官感到最頭疼的地方。
6. 以色列和巴勒斯坦 （Israel and Palestine）（並列）
This is a dangerous place, for sure. Hostile or ill-considered moves by either party can trigger regional instability that would impact global energy markets and draw the attention of every major world power. The only reason this festering wound is ranked so low: everyone is so accustomed to it that it is more likely than not to have very narrow consequences even if it heats to a boil for extended periods.
毫無疑問，這是一個非常危險的地方。雙方的每一個敵對的或者笨拙的舉動都可能觸發地區不穩定，影響全球能源市場，因此巴以之間的關係吸引着每個世界大國的注意力。這樣的火藥桶沒有排在比第六名更高的原因只是因爲世界都對以巴衝突習以爲常了。
5. 伊朗（Iran）
Iran could be an important regional force for stability. But for the near term that looks pretty unlikely. Meanwhile, if the Iranian nuclear program triggers a regional arms race that may not mean state-on-state thermonuclear disaster (deterrence probably still works for most states) but it vastly increases the likelihood that some nuke ends up in the hands of some non-state (or allegedly non-state) actor.
伊朗可能會成爲維護地區穩定的重要力量，但是從近期來看，其發揮穩定作用的可能性不大。此外，伊朗核計劃極有可能引發地區軍備競賽。儘管這並不意味着會造成核災難，卻非常有可能讓核武器落入不受國家控制的玩家手中。
4. 俄羅斯（Russia）
I rank them behind Pakistan because the odds are better that their desire to be part of the world system ultimately suppresses the country's more dangerous impulses. And because they are likely for the near term to be more dangerous as a diplomatic and political disruptor and as a regional mischief maker than as a direct military threat to anyone outside their immediate neighborhood. If I'm in that neighborhood though, I'm uncomfortable. And on top of all that, the most recent picture of a bare-chested Putin on horseback has me worried.
把俄羅斯排在巴基斯坦後面，希望俄羅斯的正能壓邪。在短期內，俄羅斯的威脅還只侷限於外交和政治上，至多是地區性的麻煩製造者，而非直接的全球性軍事威脅。要是誰當俄羅斯的鄰居，肯定會寢食難安。此外，普京騎在馬上袒胸露臂的照片讓我感到非常不安。
3. 巴基斯坦 Pakistan
Pakistan is just barely a functioning state in the pieces of the country where the government has some control. As for the rest of the place? There are pieces that never bought into the idea of the Pakistani nation. So take that, add nukes, add the impact on India and Afghanistan, add al Qaeda and the Taliban, add the country as a petri dish and a symbol for radical Islam and it's still the place with the biggest potential to blow up into something very messy for the world in the next several years.
巴基斯坦支離破碎，其國家功能不健全，因爲其中央政府對部分地區幾乎失去控制力。核武器，加上印度、阿富汗、“基地”組織以及塔利班的影響，巴基斯坦已經被看作激進伊斯蘭主義的象徵。這裏是世界上在今後若干年內最具爆炸性而陷入混亂的地區。
2. 中國 （China）
I do not believe China is a military threat to the U.S. or to anyone now or at any time in the near future. Rather they are on top of this list for the same reason that the number one country is: the most dangerous countries are the ones with the most power. They flex their muscle ... economic, political, or military... and they have the biggest impact. Or, as in the case of China, if they don't ... if they remain the reluctant great power ... and don't assume a role in the international system proportionate to their power, it will throw the system out of balance. (For example: if Iran's nuclear program is a threat and China could make a difference in containing it but doesn't ... they become a contributor to the threat.)
我不認爲中國是對美國和其他國家的軍事威脅，至少現在和在不久的將來還不是。中國之所以被選爲世界上第二大危險國家是因爲最危險的國家就是最強大的國家。中國政治、經濟以及軍事領域日益增強，影響力堪稱極致。問題是中國不肯做超級強權，對發揮與其地位相稱的影響猶猶豫豫，致使國際系統失衡。舉例來說，如果伊朗成爲核威脅需要中國的圍堵，但中國拒絕，這樣中國本身就構成了威脅的一部分。
1. 美國 The United States
I generally believe the U.S. is a force for good in the world and I am inclined to believe that is the objective of the current administration. But there is no denying that the one country who has most aggressively reached out to touch the world militarily in the past decade is the Untied States. Further, and more importantly, following the logic in the EU and China mentions one has more power than the United States. That means no one can do more damage with a mistake or even with inaction. Also: as in the case of China and the EU, our economic missteps punish the planet and there is very little evidence to suggest we've taken the steps we need to avoid another meltdown of the 2008-2009 variety. Ask yourself: What has harmed more people on the planet, terrorist brutality or Wall Street venality?
總的來說我相信美國是世界上的一個正面力量，現政府也把維護世界利益作爲目標。但不可否認的是，美國也是過去10年中世界上最具攻擊性的國家之一。而且，更爲重要的是，在世人眼中，沒有比美國更強大的力量。按照我們前面提到中國和歐盟時的邏輯，這也就意味着美國的危險也更大。美國的一個失誤或者不作爲可能造成巨大損害。美國的經濟失誤懲罰的是全世界，到現在依然沒有明顯證據顯示美國人已經吸取了教訓不會重蹈2008-2009年危機的覆轍。捫心自問：到底是恐怖主義給人類造成的傷害大，還是華爾街貪婪的傷害更大？
