Why the US is in such a hurry to attack Syria

美国为什么急着对叙动手

Source
China Military Online
Editor
Li Jiayao
Time
2018-04-20 17:28:30

The US and his two European allies Britain and France launched a military operation against Damascus, Syrian capital on the early morning of April 14, local time. Why did the US rush to launch attacks against Syria when the truth about the suspected "chemical weapons attack" that occurred on April 7 is still unclear? Analysts point out that the multiple reasons for the US to lead last Saturday's attack against Syria are both domestic and international.

叙利亚当地时间14日凌晨,美国等国对叙首都大马士革发起军事行动。7日发生的疑似“化学武器袭击”事件真相未明,美国为何急着对叙利亚动手?分析人士指出,美国之所以主导发动此次袭击,有国内、国际多重原因。

First, the developing situation in Syria prompts the US to play.

首先,叙利亚局势发展迫使美国出牌。

Since the Syrian civil war broke out seven years ago, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government has not been defeated by the US-backed anti-government forces but gradually gained the initiative in the battlefield. The US does not want to see the Bashar al-Assad's government expand its victories and stabilize its political power. Therefore, the US must intervene.

叙利亚内战7年多来,巴沙尔政府非但没有被美国支持的反政府武装打垮,还逐步取得了战场主动权。美国不愿看到巴沙尔政府扩大战果,稳固政权,因而不得不出手。

Maha Yahya, director of the Carnegie Middle East Center, said that the time had already passed for the US and other Western countries to overthrow the Bashar al-Assad's government through military means, and the missile attack the US launched against Syria last year had no effect. She said that diplomatic negotiation with a wide range of participants is the only way out.

不过,卡内基中东中心主任玛哈•叶海亚说,美国等西方国家通过军事手段推翻巴沙尔政府的时机早已过去,美国去年的导弹袭击也毫无效果。她说,相关各方广泛参与的外交谈判才是唯一出路。

Second, the US diplomatic hawks have gained momentum.

第二,美国外交鹰派得势。

Chemical weapon use was the "red line" the Obama administration drew for the US military interventions in Syria. By taking the lesson of wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya, Obama insisted that the US shouldn't plunge into the Syrian crisis. However, this policy has been criticized by domestic Republican hawks who have always advocated military attack against Syria.

化学武器是奥巴马政府划定的对叙进行军事干预的“红线”。伊拉克、阿富汗和利比亚战争的教训在前,奥巴马坚持主张不让美国陷入叙利亚危机。但这一对叙政策饱受国内共和党鹰派诟病,这些人一直主张对叙动武。

Since Trump took office, his diplomatic and security teams have undergone many rounds of change. The newly-appointed Secretary of State Mike Pompeo takes a tough diplomatic position, and the new Presidential National Security Advisor John Bolton is a well-known hawk. Chemical weapon use is both the "red line" and an excuse to attack Syria. Bolton has already demonstrated his "war hawk" style by sticking to this excuse.

特朗普上任以来,其外交和安全团队经历多轮变动,候任国务卿蓬佩奥外交立场强硬,而上任不久的总统国家安全事务助理博尔顿则是知名“鹰派”人物。化学武器既是“红线”,也是打击叙利亚的借口。咬住这一借口,博尔顿已经展示其“战争鹰派”的做派。

Third, Trump implements the new Middle East strategy to eliminate dissent.

第三,实施排除异己的中东新战略。

The Trump administration's National Security Strategy report outlines the general direction of its Middle East policy, etc., the US does not want the Middle East to be dominated by any hostile force. In the eyes of the US, the hostile forces there naturally include Russia and Iran.

特朗普政府的新版《美国国家安全战略》报告描述了其中东政策的大致方向,即“美国不希望中东被任何敌视美国的势力所主导”。在美国眼里,这里的敌视势力自然包括俄罗斯与伊朗。

The Trump administration has taken a series of actions in the Middle East over the past year, including recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and starting the embassy relocation plan. The US has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal; it has also strengthened its alliance with Saudi Arabia. The US immediately challenged Russia and Iran after Syria’s suspected “chemical weapons attack”, accusing them of backing Syria.

特朗普政府执政一年多来,在中东采取了一系列动作,包括承认耶路撒冷为以色列首都并启动使馆搬迁计划,多次威胁退出伊核协议,加强同沙特的同盟关系等等。此次叙利亚疑似“化学武器袭击”事件发生后,美国立即同时将矛头指向俄罗斯和伊朗,指责二者是叙利亚的背后靠山。

Yahya analyzed that the move aims to crackdown on Syria and Iran. However, she believes that the US will not directly attack Russia’s military forces in Syria.

叶海亚分析,美国此举不仅是打击叙利亚,同时也是打压伊朗,但她认为,美国还不会直接对俄罗斯在叙利亚的军事力量动手。

Fourth, Trump wants to transfer domestic political pressure.

第四,转移国内政治压力。

At present, Trump faces the dilemma that his team is not well-organized and the "Russiagate" investigation is pushing harder.

目前,特朗普面临团队人员不整、“通俄门”调查步步紧逼的困局。

Since Trump took office, his core team has changed a lot. The Secretary of State and the Presidential National Security Advisor were replaced in March this year. Since Bolton took office, the team has continued to face reshuffling. The resignation of Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Thomas Bossert and Nadia Schadlow, who was Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategy, reduced the number of Trump’s diplomatic security core team.

在自身团队方面,特朗普上任一年多来,核心团队接连换人,尤其是今年3月更换了国务卿和国家安全事务助理。随着博尔顿走马上任,团队继续面临人事洗牌,国土安全与反恐助理托马斯•博塞特、国家安全委员会助理纳迪娅•谢德洛的辞职,让特朗普外交安全核心团队再度减员。

In terms of external pressures, investigations into Trump are still underway. Trump's private lawyer Michael Cohen’s office and residence received sudden search by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on April 9. Trump's reaction to this matter was extremely strong. The search was approved by the Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, and it is Rosenstein who appointed the special counsel of the "Russiagate" investigation, Robert Mueller.

在外部压力方面,针对特朗普的调查仍在深入。特朗普私人律师迈克尔•科恩的办公室、住所等9日突然遭到联邦调查局(FBI)的调查。特朗普对此事的反应异常强烈。批准FBI搜查的是司法部副部长罗森斯坦,“通俄门”调查的特别检察官穆勒正是由罗森斯坦任命。

Democrats are gearing up to regain lost territory as the mid-term elections approach. Trump is now in a hard situation. It seems that a rapid and brief overseas military operation is an effective means to transfer domestic contradictions and focus.

目前美国中期选举临近,民主党人在各州摩拳擦掌欲夺回失地。特朗普在国内可谓是前有路障、后有追兵。从这一局面看,一场迅速且简短的海外军事行动是转移国内矛盾和焦点的有效手段。

Disclaimer: The authors are Liu Si and Yang zhen, reporters with the Xinhua News Agency. The article is translated from Chinese into English by the China Military online. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are those of the author from the Xinhua News Agency and do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Chinamil.com.cn does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. If the article carries photographs or images, we do not vouch for their authenticity.

声明:本文作者为新华社记者柳丝、杨臻。本文由中国军网编译,文中出现的信息、观点均出自原作者,并不代表中国军网观点。中国军网不承担任何责任。

 

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