争取独立与重绘边界的深远影响：英语精读讲义

The number of countries in the United Nations has grown over the decades

几十年来，联合国成员国数量不断增加，

from 51 states in 1945 to 193 today. 語法

从1945年的51个国家增加到如今的193个。

Many more places want to become independent,

还有许多地方想要独立，

but national governments almost always oppose secession.

但国家政府几乎总是反对分裂。

Catalonia's parliament declared independence from Spain in October 2017 短語搭配

加泰罗尼亚议会于2017年10月宣布脱离西班牙独立，

following a referendum deemed illegal by the central authorities in Madrid. 用詞

在此之前，他们举行了被马德里中央政府视为非法的公投。

Spain dismissed the region's government

西班牙解散了该地区政府，

and decreed that a fresh election should be held. 用詞

并下令重新举行选举。

Catalan politicians leading the independence movement

领导独立运动的加泰罗尼亚政客

could be jailed for decades

如果被判叛乱和煽动叛乱罪名成立，

if found guilty of rebellion and sedition. 語法

可能会面临数十年的监禁。

The autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq

伊拉克的库尔德自治区

also held a recent independence referendum.

最近也举行了独立公投。

It outraged the government in Baghdad and neighboring countries,

这激怒了巴格达政府和周边国家，

which also have Kurdish minorities.

因为这些国家也有库尔德少数民族。

The Baghdad government claimed the independence referendum was illegal

巴格达政府声称独立公投是非法的，

and seized back the lands Kurds had taken beyond their region.

并收回了库尔德人占领的本地区以外的土地。

The desire for secession is nothing new. 短語搭配

渴望分裂并不是什么新鲜事。

There are estimated to be more than 8,000 ethnocultural groups in the world 語法

世界上估计有超过8000个民族文化群体，

with many independence movements demanding their homelands be recognized as countries. 語法

其中许多独立运动要求自己的家园被承认是国家。

Jean-Claude Juncker,

让-克洛德·容克，

the president of the European Commission,

欧盟委员会主席，

said that if every region had its way, 講解

曾表示，如果每个地区都为所欲为，

the EU would become unmanageable.

欧盟将变得无法管理。

So who gets to form a state? 表達脈絡

那么谁能建立一个国家呢？

There are no clear international rules.

国际上并没有明确的规则。

The 1933 Montevideo Convention declared that a region needs four things to become a state. 文化背景

1933年的《蒙得维的亚公约》宣布一个地区成为国家需要具备四个条件。

A permanent population,

固定的居民，

a defined territory,

明确的领土，

a government,

一个政府，

and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. 用詞

以及与其他国家交往的能力。

These are only guidelines.

这些仅仅是指导原则。

Ideally, 表達脈絡

理想情况下，

a region would also meet other conditions such as

一个地区还需要满足其他条件，例如

show that a clear majority have freely chosen independence,

证明绝大多数人自由选择了独立，

respect its own minorities,

尊重其内部的少数群体，

have a viable state,

拥有一个可维系的政府，

and settle terms with the state it leaves and its neighbors.

并与它离开的国家及邻国达成协议。

In practice,

但在实践中，

all of these conditions are hard to meet.

所有这些条件都很难满足。

Taiwan is a modern democratic state in all but international law. 習語

除了不具备国际法地位，台湾在各个方面都是一个现代民主政体。

It's an island off the southeastern coast of China,

它是中国东南沿海的一座岛屿，

which has its own constitution,

拥有自己的宪法，

functions as an independent state,

作为一个独立政体运作，

has democratically elected leaders,

拥有民主选举的领导人，

and was the first place in Asia to rule in favor of gay marriage. 用詞

并且是亚洲第一个裁定同性婚姻合法的地方。

Per head, it's around three times richer than mainland China. 講解

其人均收入约为中国大陆的三倍。

But China regards Taiwan as a renegade province. 短語搭配

但中国将其视为一个叛离的省份。

It insists that no country can have diplomatic ties with both itself and Taiwan. 短語搭配

并坚持任何国家都不能同时与中国和台湾建立外交关系。

Only 19 countries plus the Vatican officially recognize it. 用詞

只有19个国家以及梵蒂冈正式承认它。

Somaliland is another region seeking to be recognized as a country.

索马里兰是另一个寻求被承认为国家的地区。

The semi-desert territory on the coast of the Gulf of Aden

这个位于亚丁湾沿岸的半沙漠地区

declared independence from Somalia in 1991.

于1991年宣布脱离索马里独立。

It has its own government,

它有自己的政府、

police force,

警察部队，

and currency.

和货币。

But no foreign government recognizes it,

但没有外国政府承认它，

perhaps for good reason. 語氣意圖

这或许是有充分理由的。

To recognize Somaliland would encourage other separatists in the region. 語法

承认索马里兰会鼓励该地区的其他分离主义分子。

It would undermine the already weak federal government of Somalia,

这将削弱本已脆弱的索马里联邦政府，

and it would probably lead to war. 短語搭配

甚至可能会引发战争。

There have only been two major changes to African borders since the 1960s,

自20世纪60年代以来，非洲的边界只发生过两次重大变化，

and neither is a success story. 語法

但都没有成功的结局。

Eritrea declared independence from Ethiopia in 1993.

厄立特里亚于1993年宣布脱离埃塞俄比亚独立。

Today,

如今，

Eritrea has a despotic government, 用詞

厄立特里亚的政府专制，

and its people are mired in abject poverty. 習語

人民陷入了赤贫之中。

In 2011,

2011年，

South Sudan seceded from Sudan,

南苏丹脱离苏丹，

making it the world's newest country. 語法

成为世界上最年轻的国家。

Soon after South Sudan formed,

但南苏丹成立后不久，

civil war broke out, 短語動詞

就爆发了内战，

displacing 2.2 million people. 語法

导致220万人流离失所。

Although a cease-fire was signed in 2015, 語法

尽管2015年签署了停火协议，

the country lies in ruin,

但这个国家已是一片废墟，

plagued by hyperinflation, 習語

饱受恶性通货膨胀、

famine,

饥荒

and violence.

和暴力的折磨。

Independence has a romantic ring. 習語

独立听起来充满浪漫色彩。

Many sympathize with the demand for freedom, 短語搭配

许多人同情对自由的追求，

but redrawing borders is dangerous

但重新划分边界是危险的，

and often causes as many problems as it solves. 語法

往往会带来与它解决的一样多的问题。