【08.08.26 紐約時報】聖經中的7年

作者：托馬斯L.弗里德曼

　　觀看過北京奧運壯觀的奧運會，感受到數以百計的中國鼓手帶來的震蕩，我很容易得出兩個總結：「天啊，這個國家的活力是無可匹敵的。」還有：「開始教孩子們中文吧。」

　　然而，多年的經驗告訴我，不要過度詮釋任何為期兩周的事件。奧運沒有改變歷史。它僅僅是快照——一個國家擺出最好的姿勢讓全世界看。不過，誠如快照所示，透過奧運呈現的中國真的非常強大——而且美國人需要在這個選舉季節反省。

　　耗資430億美元的宏偉的奧運基礎設施，無與倫比的開幕與閉幕式，這些不是由於那種突然發現石油的偶然運氣。不是那樣的，而是七年的國家投資、計劃、集中國力、全國動員以及努力工作的高潮。

　　七年……七年……哦，沒錯。中國在2001年7月13日獲得奧運主辦權——剛好在911恐怖襲擊發生的兩個月前。

　　當我坐在鳥巢的座位上，看著數以千計的中國舞者、鼓手、歌者以及特技演員在表演閉幕式的魔術，我不禁思考中國和美國如何度過過去的七年：中國在為奧運準備；我們在為基地組織準備。他們在建造更好的體育館、地鐵、機場、道路和公園。我們在建造更好的金屬探測儀、裝甲車和無人駕駛飛機。

　　差異開始顯現。抵達紐約市La Guardia機場笨拙的航站樓，驅車走過曼哈頓搖搖欲墜的基礎設施，再和抵達上海時髦的機場，乘坐時速220英里的磁懸浮列車的體驗比較一下。然後自問：到底是誰生活在第三世界國家？

　　沒錯，如果你從北京往外走，驅車一個小時就會看到中國廣闊的、非常貧窮的第三世界。但新意在於：中國的富裕部分，北京或上海或大連的現代部分，如今比富裕的美國要先進。建築更為有趣，無限網路更為先進，道路和火車更為有效，更加好。我再說一遍，他們做到這一切並非因為發現石油。他們是通過挖掘自身來達到的。

　　我意識到了差異：我們遭遇911襲擊；他們沒有。我們有真正的敵人；他們的敵人並不龐大，而且主要是國內的。我們不得不回應911，至少要剷除基地組織在阿富汗的基地，並加強國土安全。他們可以迴避外國糾纏。然而，試圖在伊拉克建立民主是一場選擇之戰，而且不大可能產生與其代價相等的東西。

　　當你看到中國自2001年以來在奧運的標語下建造多少現代基礎設施，當你看到美國自2001年以來在反恐戰爭的標語下推遲多少基礎設施建設，你就會明白未來的七年必須投入美國的國家建設。

　　我們需要儘快完成我們在伊拉克和阿富汗的事務，當伊拉克議會去度假而13萬美軍卻在站崗，那是很滑稽的。在伊拉克人在爭論是否要搞他們的國家建設的時候，我們再也不能推遲我們的國家建設。

　　奧巴馬之所以能走到今天，是因為很多選民期望他是帶領美國復興的領導。他們知道我們現在需要搞國家建設——不是在伊拉克，不是在阿富汗，不是在喬治亞，而是在美國。奧巴馬不要錯過這個主旋律。


      Afterattending the spectacular closing ceremony at the Beijing Olympics andfeeling the vibrations from hundreds of Chinese drummers pulsating inmy own chest, I was tempted to conclude two things: 「Holy mackerel, theenergy coming out of this country is unrivaled.」 And, two: 「We are socooked. Start teaching your kids Mandarin.」
However, I』velearned over the years not to over-interpret any two-week event.Olympics don』t change history. They are mere snapshots — a countryposing in its Sunday bests for all the world too see. But, as snapshotsgo, the one China presented through the Olympics was enormouslypowerful — and it』s one that Americans need to reflect upon thiselection season.
China did not build the magnificent $43 billioninfrastructure for these games, or put on the unparalleled opening andclosing ceremonies, simply by the dumb luck of discovering oil. No, itwas 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.

本文地址：http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/27/opinion/27friedman.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&oref=slogin