It is 80 years old now but still one of the more arresting images of the photographic age. On board the USS Quincy, an ailing Franklin Roosevelt meets King Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia (or Ibn Saud, as the Anglo-American world knew him). And so begins, or at least deepens, the US role in the Middle East. Consider it FDR’s parting gift.
这张照片如今已有80年历史，但依然呈现照片时代最抓人眼球的画面之一。在美国“昆西号”巡洋舰(USS Quincy)上，病中的富兰克林•罗斯福(Franklin Roosevelt)会晤沙特阿拉伯国王阿卜杜勒阿齐兹（King Abdulaziz，英美世界称他为伊本•沙特(Ibn Saud)），由此开启——或者至少说是深化——美国在中东的角色。不妨将其视为罗斯福的临别礼物。
“You shouldn’t have,” some would say, including men as dissimilar as Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Both of those presidents were first elected as sceptics of American involvement in the region. The botched occupation of Iraq was just one reason to turn elsewhere. At home, green tech and a shale bonanza were lessening the need for Gulf oil. Besides, there was China to worry about.
“你不该把它看成什么礼物，”有些人会说，这些人中包括巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)和唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)——两个截然不同的人。两位总统在最初当选时都对美国介入中东事务持怀疑态度。对伊拉克的占领搞砸只是把关注移向他处的原因之一。在美国国内，绿色科技和页岩油气繁荣减少了对海湾石油的需求。再说还有中国需要操心。
Well, here is a progress report on that deprioritisation of the Middle East. In June, the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities in Operation Midnight Hammer. Trump has just agreed the first phase of a delicate Israeli-Palestinian peace, which entails an International Stabilisation Force in Gaza. At the bare minimum, the US will have to act as a convener and arm-twister of the regional actors, for an indefinite period. There are still some 40,000 US service members in the region.
那么以下就是关于美国降低对中东重视程度的进展报告。今年6月，美国发起“午夜之锤”(Operation Midnight Hammer)行动，轰炸了伊朗核设施。特朗普刚刚斡旋达成了脆弱的以巴和平协议的第一阶段，该协议将包括在加沙部署一支国际维稳部队。在一段无限长的时期内，美国至少需要充当地区各方的召集者，并对他们施压。中东地区目前仍有约4万名美国军人。