Tom Friedman_NYTimes 我坐在鸟巢自问：到底是谁第三世界国家？

信源：纽约时报｜编辑：2008-08-27

观看过北京奥运壮观的奥运会，感受到数以百计的中国鼓手带来的震荡，我很容易得出两个总结：“天啊，这个国家的活力是无可匹敌的。”还有：“开始教孩子们中文吧。”

然而，多年的经验告诉我，不要过度诠释任何为期两周的事件。奥运没有改变历史。它仅仅是快照----一个国家摆出最好的姿势让全世界看。不过，诚如快照所示，透过奥运呈现的中国真的非常强大----而且美国人需要在这个选举季节反省。

耗资430亿美元的宏伟的奥运基础设施，无与伦比的开幕与闭幕式，这些不是由于那种突然发现石油的偶然运气。不是那样的，而是七年的国家投资、计划、集中国力、全国动员以及努力工作的高潮。

七年……七年……哦，没错。中国在2001年7月13日获得奥运主办权----刚好在911恐怖袭击发生的两个月前。

当我坐在鸟巢的座位上，看着数以千计的中国舞者、鼓手、歌者以及特技演员在表演闭幕式的魔术，我不禁思考中国和美国如何度过过去的七年：中国在为奥运准备；我们在为基地组织准备。他们在建造更好的体育馆、地铁、机场、道路和公园。我们在建造更好的金属探测仪、装甲车和无人驾驶飞机。

差异开始显现。抵达纽约市La Guardia机场笨拙的航站楼，驱车走过曼哈顿摇摇欲坠的基础设施，再和抵达上海时髦的机场，乘坐时速220英里的磁悬浮列车的体验比较一下。然后自问：到底是谁生活在第三世界国家？

没错，如果你从北京往外走，驱车一个小时就会看到中国广阔的、非常贫穷的第三世界。但新意在于：中国的富裕部分，北京或上海或大连的现代部分，如今比富裕的美国要先进。建筑更为有趣，无限网络更为先进，道路和火车更为有效，更加好。我再说一遍，他们做到这一切并非因为发现石油。他们是通过挖掘自身来达到的。

我意识到了差异：我们遭遇911袭击；他们没有。我们有真正的敌人；他们的敌人并不庞大，而且主要是国内的。我们不得不回应911，至少要铲除基地组织在阿富汗的基地，并加强国土安全。他们可以回避外国纠缠。然而，试图在伊拉克建立民主是一场选择之战，而且不大可能产生与其代价相等的东西。

当你看到中国自2001年以来在奥运的标语下建造多少现代基础设施，当你看到美国自2001年以来在反恐战争的标语下推迟多少基础设施建设，你就会明白未来的七年必须投入美国的国家建设。

我们需要尽快完成我们在伊拉克和阿富汗的事务，当伊拉克议会去度假而13万美军却在站岗，那是很滑稽的。在伊拉克人在争论是否要搞他们的国家建设的时候，我们再也不能推迟我们的国家建设。

奥巴马之所以能走到今天，是因为很多选民期望他是带领美国复兴的领导。他们知道我们现在需要搞国家建设----不是在伊拉克，不是在阿富汗，不是在格鲁吉亚，而是在美国。奥巴马不要错过这个主旋律。

作者：THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

英文原文：A Biblical Seven Years

After attending the spectacular closing ceremony at the Beijing Olympics and feeling the vibrations from hundreds of Chinese drummers pulsating in my own chest, I was tempted to conclude two things: “Holy mackerel, the energy coming out of this country is unrivaled.” And, two: “We are so cooked. Start teaching your kids Mandarin.”

However, I’ve learned over the years not to over-interpret any two-week event. Olympics don’t change history. They are mere snapshots — a country posing in its Sunday bests for all the world too see. But, as snapshots go, the one China presented through the Olympics was enormously powerful — and it’s one that Americans need to reflect upon this election season.

China did not build the magnificent $43 billion infrastructure for these games, or put on the unparalleled opening and closing ceremonies, simply by the dumb luck of discovering oil. No, it was the culmination of seven years of national investment, planning, concentrated state power, national mobilization and hard work.

Seven years ... Seven years ... Oh, that’s right. China was awarded these Olympic Games on July 13, 2001 — just two months before 9/11.
As I sat in my seat at the Bird’s Nest, watching thousands of Chinese dancers, drummers, singers and acrobats on stilts perform their magic at the closing ceremony, I couldn’t help but reflect on how China and America have spent the last seven years: China has been preparing for the Olympics; we’ve been preparing for Al Qaeda. They’ve been building better stadiums, subways, airports, roads and parks. And we’ve been building better metal detectors, armored Humvees and pilotless drones.

The difference is starting to show. Just compare arriving at La Guardia’s dumpy terminal in New York City and driving through the crumbling infrastructure into Manhattan with arriving at Shanghai’s sleek airport and taking the 220-mile-per-hour magnetic levitation train, which uses electromagnetic propulsion instead of steel wheels and tracks, to get to 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-poor third 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 state of the art than rich America. The buildings are architecturally more interesting, the wireless networks more sophisticated, the roads and trains more efficient and nicer. And, I repeat, they did not get all this by discovering oil. They got it by digging inside themselves.

I realize the differences: We were attacked on 9/11; they were not. We have real enemies; theirs are small and mostly domestic. We had to respond to 9/11 at least by eliminating the Al Qaeda base in Afghanistan and investing in tighter homeland security. They could avoid foreign entanglements. Trying to build democracy in Iraq, though, which I supported, was a war of choice and is unlikely to ever produce anything equal to its huge price tag.

But the first rule of holes is that when you’re in one, stop digging. When you see how much modern infrastructure has been built in China since 2001, under the banner of the Olympics, and you see how much infrastructure has been postponed in America since 2001, under the banner of the war on terrorism, it’s clear that the next seven years need to be devoted to nation-building in America.

We need to finish our business in Iraq and Afghanistan as quickly as possible, which is why it is a travesty that the Iraqi Parliament has gone on vacation while 130,000 U.S. troops are standing guard. We can no longer afford to postpone our nation-building while Iraqis squabble over whether to do theirs.

A lot of people are now advising Barack Obama to get dirty with John McCain. Sure, fight fire with fire. That’s necessary, but it is not sufficient.

Obama got this far because many voters projected onto him that he could be the leader of an American renewal. They know we need nation-building at home now — not in Iraq, not in Afghanistan, not in Georgia, but in America. Obama cannot lose that theme.

He cannot let Republicans make this election about who is tough enough to stand up to Russia or bin Laden. It has to be about who is strong enough, focused enough, creative enough and unifying enough to get Americans to rebuild America. The next president can have all the foreign affairs experience in the world, but it will be useless, utterly useless, if we, as a country, are weak.

Obama is more right than he knows when he proclaims that this is “our” moment, this is “our” time. But it is our time to get back to work on the only home we have, our time for nation-building in America. I never want to tell my girls — and I’m sure Obama feels the same about his — that they have to go to China to see the future.

所有跟帖： 

• "that they have to go to China to see the future. " -guy100- ♂ (9 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 10:24:24

• 15年前我对来机场接我的同学说 -i751- ♂ (146 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 10:51:51

• that is why u still have chance , when all china -Guy100- ♂ (46 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 11:00:54

• 我估计看不到了. -i751- ♂ (160 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 11:33:10

• 连开4个小时,居然没看到一部车 = waste of highway -Guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:36:07

• 美国是多偏的地方都修了路.中国是空旷的大草原通了手机信号. -i751- ♂ (38 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:45:46

• 谁生活在第三世界国家? "抵达纽约市机场笨拙的航站楼,驱车走过曼哈顿 -聂耳- ♂ (130 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 10:38:09

• 中国不是只有北京和上海 -剪刀手- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 10:46:03

• rite. but 2nd tier cities are catching up fast too -guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 10:58:05

• Facillities in developED countries are older than -Warsteiner- ♂ (789 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 11:12:00

• W总说的有道理,你们法兰克福机场的天花板很低呀~ -老卵- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 11:25:25

• Haha, I am not a big fan of Frankfurter Flughafen either:) -Warsteiner- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 11:54:41

• Agree - premature- young and old "hotheads" with little brain. -clk430- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 11:51:12

• Agree -- thanks for your commentary on Tom Friedman -聂耳- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:49:34

• Good point! Pepole like you really should play w NYTime/CNN -聂耳- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:57:32

• Thomas said that , not me :-) -guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:33:57

• but it surely looks like Sh and BJ r better than NYC -Guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:35:18

• 回复：Facillities in developED countries are older than -playitagain- ♂ (170 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:16:06

• 北京在奥运期间展现的是正常的北京吗？ -mknc- ♂ (114 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:05:02

• 去一朋友家，他拿茅台来喝 ... -mknc- ♂ (131 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:18:57

• hmm, where do you live? I can get 茅台 in many... -clk430- ♂ (164 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:45:50

• I usually bring liquors with me when I return to the US -mknc- ♂ (57 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 12:49:51

• u r cooked . $25 in usa? it costs over 500 rmb in china -guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:03:52

• no wonder u think urself a "success" :-) lol.... -Guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:04:43

• Nah, about 450 for 五粮液 less than 400 for 茅台。 -Warsteiner- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:07:42

• I ordered 茅台 many time in restaurant they were 800-1000 usually -聂耳- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:12:38

• Well, Restaurant with a capital "R" :D sure they just rip you of -Warsteiner- ♂ (161 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:20:16

• There were not much profit margin, otherwise ppl will bring thei -聂耳- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:23:48

• They will charge you 开瓶费. But sometimes you want -Warsteiner- ♂ (147 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:28:15

• see the top of the page -聂耳- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:33:21

• 你觉得有很多人是自己付钱喝酒的吗? -I751- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:32:31

• Yes, I believe, I remember in Jia Xing Town an 80's birthday -聂耳- ♂ (38 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:44:26

• 所有酒类在饭店价钱都markup至少50,%,一般在100%左右 -老卵- ♀ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:32:55

• Chinese always export goods under cost - no matter... -clk430- ♂ (109 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:18:17

• 海外进口商付款比较准时. -I751- ♂ (92 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:22:32

• 老杜不喝酒吧? -i751- ♂ (108 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:19:50

• 老杜喝 flower 酒 :-) r u sure those r real ? -guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:21:17

• 靠,你当我喝醉啦,价签都看不懂啦 -I751- ♂ (53 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:25:56

• but ur taste bud has no comparison , mistakenly thinking -Guy100- ♂ (23 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:28:50

• Sissy SH men cant take liquor... -clk430- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:33:57

• It seems you have been nowhere but NYC... -clk430- ♂ (542 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:31:24

• 老杜是MBA思维.矛台25快钱,听着就不合理! -I751- ♂ (43 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:39:11

• donot assume. i was the No.1 drinker in my dorm :-) no joke -Guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:56:27

• just like $10000 to buy BMW 听着就不合理! anything wrong? -Guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 14:06:05

• What makes you think Maotai the BMW in liquor? retarded... -clk430- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 14:52:25

• Are u really came from China?? Totally 对中国的无知 ! -聂耳- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:20:23

• he is a hot-head thinking he is the next bill gates :-) -Guy100- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:24:35

• Ur English tells your intelligent level.. Peace out! -clk430- ♂ (0 bytes) () 08/27/2008 postreply 13:37:58