Segment 29a: Introduction
29段第一部分:介绍
This lecture begins in a state of malaise, which can be defined as a vague sense of physical, mental or moral ill health
我们这节课开始要讲的是一种低迷状态,可大概定义为身体精神或者道德上的不健康状态
The United States has effort to prop up its South Vietnamese client state was hideously expensive. In both resources and human lives
美国为支持越南附属国付出了特别惨重的代价。物资上和人力上都是
In the end, it achieved nothing
到最后却什么都没有得到
It was the United States' first experience with flat-out losing a war
这是美国第一次体会战败
The US, however, would emerge from this sad state
美国最后从这样的状态下走出来
The Soviet Union would not
苏联却没有
Segment 29b: The age of malaise traces America's disastrous escalation of the Vietnam War
29段第二部分:低迷时代可以追溯到美国灾难性地扩大越南战争
The first war covered on television network news, the Vietnam War also spawned an anti-war movement, which fought the US government every step of the way
越战是电视报道的第一次战争,它也引发了反战运动,在之后的每一步中都和政府作对
President Nixon eventually ended the Vietnam War through "Vietnamization," which supposedly handed the conduct of the war over the South Vietnam
尼克松总统最终通过“战争越南化”结束了越南战争,“战争越南化”理论上是讲战争交还给越南共和国
In fact, South Vietnam was left to its inevitable fate
实际上,越南共和国最后还是不可避免地失败
The sense of malaise brought on by losing Vietnam was amplified by other developments: Watergate, the oil crisis and the Iran hostage crisis
由越南战争战败带来的低迷感,后来又因为别的事件进一步加强:水门事件、石油危机和伊朗人质危机
Meanwhile the Soviet celebrated the end of the 1970s with an equally idiotic decision to invade Afghanistan
与此同时,苏联在70年代末做出了同样愚蠢的决定——入侵阿富汗