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Now here is a view on politics by James Stavridis
下面是詹姆斯·斯塔夫里蒂斯的一篇政治评论
What H.R. McMaster’s retirement reveals
麦克马斯特退休说明了什么
By James Stavridis
文/詹姆斯·斯塔夫里蒂斯
I MET COLONEL H.R. MCMASTER IN THE early years of the Iraq War,
我是在伊拉克战争初期认识麦克马斯特上校的，
when he was in command of the 3rd Cavalry Regiment in TalAfar, Iraq.
当时他还在担任伊拉克塔拉法第三骑兵团的指挥官。
It was a hot and dusty day,
那是一个炎热而灰暗的日子，
and I was a three-star Vice Admiral traveling with my boss at the time, Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld.
作为一名海军三星中将，认识上校时我正和我当时的领导，国防部长拉姆斯菲尔德一起出差。
McMaster, who looks like he ought to be working as a bouncer in a city bar in the Badlands neighborhood of his Philadelphia hometown,
麦克马斯特看上去给人的感觉是他更应该在他家乡费城的巴德兰兹地区的某个城市酒吧当个保镖而不是在指挥官
briefed us on his work in pacifying the violent region with an adept blend of hard and soft power—what some have called “smart power.”
他向我们简要地介绍了他的工作内容：软硬兼施，有人也称“巧力”，平息这个充满暴乱的地区。
The encounter solidified in my mind the superb intellect combined with operational skills that have characterized his career.
那次邂逅进一步加深了我对他不仅拥有超强的实践能力，还有着卓越的才智的印象，而这两种能力也一直是他职业生涯的标志性特征。
As the NATO Commander a few years later, and wearing four stars,
几年后，作为北大西洋公约组织在阿的指挥官以及一名四星中将，
I requested his assignment to my Afghan command as a one-star to take on the dark heart of our challenges there: corruption in the Afghan government.
我要求他以一星军衔的身份被派往我的阿富汗司令部，负责我们在那里面临的核心挑战：阿富汗政府的腐败。
He did hard work in a difficult place, and my respect for him grew.
在那样艰难的地方他仍能辛勤工作，我对他的尊敬与日俱增。
MCMASTER’S 1997 BOOK, Dereliction of Duty, is in many ways a stinging indictment
从很多方面来看，麦克马斯特1997年出版的《玩忽职守》都是一份尖锐的控诉，
of the Washington culture of subtle deceit, hidden agenda and backstabbing that helped pull the U.S. into a quagmire in Vietnam.
控诉华盛顿流行的狡诈地欺骗、隐藏的议程和背后中伤的文化，美国之所以陷入越战泥潭，这一文化脱不了干系。
It tells the story of the malfeasance of the uniformed senior military
书中讲述了一个穿着制服的高级军官如何渎职，
in misleading the nation and the President about the true state of affairs as the war spiraled down to defeat.
如何在战争逐渐走向失败时误导国家和总统，欺瞒真实战况的故事。
It is also a cautionary tale.
这也是一个意在警醒世人的故事。
In his time in the White House,
在白宫任职期间，
McMaster tried to rise above what Rex Tillerson called in an outburst of candor(and an understatement, frankly) this “mean-spirited town.”
麦克马斯特试图超越雷克斯·蒂勒森在一次坦白（坦率地说，这只是一种轻描淡写的说法)中所说的“心胸狭窄的小镇。”
McMaster’s short tenure as President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser certainly reinforced that assessment.
麦克马斯特担任美国总统唐纳德·特朗普的国家安全顾问的任期之短，无疑也进一步佐证了上述评价。
译文由可可原创，仅供学习交流使用，未经许可请勿转载。
