在華盛頓摸不著門(mén)路的外交官們

It is the global policy capital that lives and dies by politics and prides itself on networking. But nearly five months after US president Donald Trump stepped into the Oval Office, diplomats are still scrambling for Washington DC’s chief commodity — access.

這里是全球政策之都，因政治而興衰，以人脈關(guān)系網(wǎng)為榮。但在美國(guó)總統(tǒng)唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)入主橢圓形辦公室(Oval Office)近5個(gè)月后，各國(guó)外交官們?nèi)栽跔?zhēng)搶華盛頓特區(qū)的“主要商品”——門(mén)路。

As foreign missions try to make sense of the new president and discern his administration's policies, the so-called “whispering gallery of Washington” is swapping cocktail conversation for veranda venting.

在外國(guó)使團(tuán)想方設(shè)法弄清楚這位新總統(tǒng)及其政府的政策時(shí)，所謂的“華盛頓耳語(yǔ)廊”正在將雞尾酒談話轉(zhuǎn)換成走廊發(fā)泄。

“Was there a briefing?” inquires an ambassador posted to DC who is aghast to be left out of the loop on one of Mr Trump’s policy about-turns.

“有詳情介紹嗎?”一名駐華盛頓的大使問(wèn)道，他驚惶地發(fā)現(xiàn)自己已被落在關(guān)于特朗普一項(xiàng)政策轉(zhuǎn)變的情報(bào)圈子之外。

Elsewhere, another diplomat shakes his head, unsure to whom he should direct his questions: “State department is a mere skeleton.”

在另外一個(gè)地方，另一名外交官搖了搖頭，他不知道應(yīng)去問(wèn)誰(shuí)：“國(guó)務(wù)院只是個(gè)空架子。”

The administration has yet to make dozens of senior appointments at the state department and the Pentagon, exposing personnel gaps that add to the sense that the US government lacks clear direction.

特朗普政府尚未作出對(duì)國(guó)務(wù)院和五角大樓(Pentagon)的幾十項(xiàng)高級(jí)任命，暴露出的人事空缺加深了外界對(duì)本屆美國(guó)政府缺乏明確方向的看法。

“Policy is a black box and nobody knows how things are being done,” says a serving state department official, adding that some bureaucrats feel they are being frozen out or given little to do.

“現(xiàn)在的政策是個(gè)黑箱，沒(méi)人知道是怎樣操作的，”一名現(xiàn)任國(guó)務(wù)院官員表示。他還說(shuō)，一些官員感覺(jué)自己受到了排擠，或者幾乎無(wú)事可做。

Matthew Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University, says such concerns make traditional centres of diplomatic activity in the administration less powerful than in the past. “It’s hard for diplomats to know if the information they’re receiving from state department is reliable and this is in fact what the White House is going to do.”

喬治華盛頓大學(xué)(George Washington University)政治史學(xué)者馬修•達(dá)萊克(Matthew Dallek)表示，此類(lèi)擔(dān)憂使美國(guó)政府一些傳統(tǒng)外交活動(dòng)中心的影響力大不如前。“外交官很難知道他們從國(guó)務(wù)院得到的信息是否可靠，而這實(shí)際上正是白宮要做的。”

At the heart of the chaotic scene is Mr Trump, who in the course of his first few months may not have yet “drained the swamp” as he promised in his campaign speeches, but who has certainly turned it inside out.

在這片混亂局面中，處于核心位置的是特朗普，他在上臺(tái)頭幾個(gè)月里可能并未像在競(jìng)選演講中承諾的那樣“排干沼澤”(drain the swamp，原指排干沼澤里的水，以消滅傳播瘧疾的蚊子。這里用來(lái)比喻趕走害人蟲(chóng)，根除腐敗的特權(quán)階級(jí)的影響——譯者注)，但他無(wú)疑已經(jīng)將整個(gè)水塘徹底攪翻。

“Trump is so mercurial and untethered to any core commitments or idea that he is quite unreliable,” says Mr Dallek. “That has cast a pall over traditional statecraft and diplomacy and made it a lot more confusing for diplomats to conduct their work.”

“特朗普如此反復(fù)無(wú)常且不受任何核心承諾或理念的約束，以至于在外界看來(lái)，他相當(dāng)不靠譜，”達(dá)萊克說(shuō)，“這給美國(guó)傳統(tǒng)的治國(guó)和外交方略蒙上了一層陰影，而且使外交官們?cè)陂_(kāi)展工作時(shí)多了很多困惑。”

Mr Trump has criticised America’s allies and courted its adversaries, prompting top cabinet members to reassure alarmed counterparts from Nato to South Korea that he does, in fact, believe in alliances.

特朗普批評(píng)美國(guó)的盟友，同時(shí)拉攏美國(guó)的敵人，致使內(nèi)閣高級(jí)成員不得不向驚慌失措的盟友——從北約(Nato)到韓國(guó)——保證，特朗普實(shí)際上是信任聯(lián)盟的。

“There is no gap between the president and myself or the state department on policy,” said Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, this week, seeking to refute a widely held impression that they contradicted each other over the approach to Qatar after the region cut ties with the country. “There are differences in terms of how the president chooses to articulate elements of that policy.”

“總統(tǒng)與我本人或國(guó)務(wù)院之間在政策方面沒(méi)有分歧，”美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)卿雷克斯•蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson)上周表示，試圖駁斥外界廣泛抱有的一種印象，即在中東多國(guó)與卡塔爾斷交后，他倆在如何處理與卡塔爾的關(guān)系上產(chǎn)生矛盾。“在總統(tǒng)選擇如何表述這一政策內(nèi)容方面存在差異。”

Mr Trump’s various articulations are already the focus of study as foreign officials attempt to judge how best to carve out good relations with him and the US.

特朗普的各種表述早已成為研究的焦點(diǎn)，外國(guó)官員嘗試判斷如何才能最好地與特朗普及美國(guó)打造良好關(guān)系。

Chris Ruddy, a friend of Mr Trump and member of his Mar-a-Lago club, said he had been approached by many ambassadors for advice on dealing with Mr Trump.

特朗普的友人、海湖莊園(Mar-a-Lago)俱樂(lè)部成員克里斯•拉迪(Chris Ruddy)說(shuō)，許多大使都曾來(lái)找他詢(xún)問(wèn)與特朗普打交道的建議。

“I tell them the same thing: the president is laser-focused on bringing jobs to America. He wants to revive the US economy and feels that the US has gotten the short end of the stick in trade deals and other arrangements,” said Mr Ruddy, head of Newsmax Media.

“我給他們的答復(fù)都一樣：總統(tǒng)極為關(guān)注給美國(guó)帶來(lái)就業(yè)的事情。他希望重振美國(guó)經(jīng)濟(jì)，且認(rèn)為美國(guó)在貿(mào)易協(xié)議及其他安排方面受到了不公平待遇，”傳媒機(jī)構(gòu)Newsmax Media的負(fù)責(zé)人拉迪說(shuō)。

“They can please the president enormously if they have companies from their countries invest in the US, open businesses, and create jobs, especially in Rust Belt states that have been decimated by globalisation. Countries like Japan, China, and even Saudi Arabia, clearly have figured this out.”

“有些人，如果有來(lái)自他們國(guó)家的公司在美國(guó)投資、開(kāi)辦企業(yè)并創(chuàng)造就業(yè)，尤其是在那些遭受全球化嚴(yán)重沖擊的“銹帶”州，他們就能極大地取悅總統(tǒng)。日本、中國(guó)甚至沙特阿拉伯等國(guó)家，顯然已經(jīng)明白了這一點(diǎn)。”

The Japanese in particular tailored their pitch to highlight job creation, and now rejoice that their premier has had more face-time with Mr Trump than any other global leader.

日本人尤其有針對(duì)性地突出了他們?cè)诿绹?guó)創(chuàng)造的就業(yè)，他們現(xiàn)在正為本國(guó)首相與特朗普面對(duì)面會(huì)談時(shí)間比其他任何全球領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人都長(zhǎng)而感到高興。

Others have established telephone hotlines to Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, or daughter Ivanka Trump, both high-up officials in the White House, as a way to gain access to the president. Others turn to flattery, lavishing praise on the former reality television star.

有些國(guó)家已經(jīng)與特朗普的女婿賈里德•庫(kù)什納(Jared Kushner)或女兒伊萬(wàn)卡•特朗普(Ivanka Trump)——兩人都為白宮高官——建立了熱線電話聯(lián)系，以此作為接近特朗普總統(tǒng)的一種方式。有的國(guó)家轉(zhuǎn)向恭維，對(duì)這位前電視真人秀明星大加溢美之辭。

The British have learnt to focus on his actions and not his words, observers say.

觀察人士稱(chēng)，英國(guó)人已學(xué)會(huì)關(guān)注其行動(dòng)，而非言辭。

For those still unsure of their standing, diplomats rake over small details for clues about the direction of US policy, perceiving the future of relations with the superpower in something as ordinarily mundane as a handshake.

對(duì)于那些仍不確定自身立場(chǎng)的國(guó)家而言，外交官們會(huì)通過(guò)梳理小的細(xì)節(jié)尋找關(guān)于美國(guó)政策走向的線索，從握手之類(lèi)的尋常事中來(lái)預(yù)判本國(guó)與這個(gè)超級(jí)大國(guó)未來(lái)的關(guān)系。

"He’s more demonstrative than any other world leader in the way he physically occupies space — as a diplomat you have to factor that into any meeting you might have with him,” says a former senior state department official. “Trump is nakedly obvious whether it’s on Twitter or in an offscript comment or when he shakes your hand — he wants the upper hand in everything he does.”

“他用實(shí)際地占據(jù)空間的方式，比其他任何一位世界領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人都更加情緒外露——作為一名外交官，假如你有機(jī)會(huì)與他會(huì)面的話，你必須將這一因素考慮進(jìn)去，”一位前美國(guó)國(guó)務(wù)院高官說(shuō)，“特朗普在這點(diǎn)上毫不避諱，無(wú)論在Twitter上，還是在隨口的評(píng)論中，或者當(dāng)他與你握手時(shí)——他希望在所做的每件事上都占據(jù)上風(fēng)。”

While many complain they do not know who to speak to in Washington, others are quick to praise those senior officials whom Mr Trump has actually appointed. Diplomats cite reports of close collaboration between Jim Mattis, secretary of defence, and Mr Tillerson, who meet and speak regularly. They praise the pedigree and experience of HR McMaster, the national security adviser.

雖然許多外交官抱怨不知道在華盛頓該與誰(shuí)對(duì)話，但有些已經(jīng)急忙稱(chēng)贊起特朗普任命的高級(jí)官員。外交官們引述了關(guān)于國(guó)防部長(zhǎng)吉姆•馬蒂斯(Jim Mattis)與蒂勒森密切協(xié)作、經(jīng)常碰面交談的報(bào)道。他們夸贊國(guó)家安全顧問(wèn)赫伯特•雷蒙德•麥克馬斯特(HR McMaster)的出身和經(jīng)驗(yàn)。

“This administration is like a foreign policy dream team regardless of who is president,” says another DC-based ambassador, citing the high calibre of leading officials at state, defence, the National Security Council, the Treasury and commerce. “Trump delegates far more [than the previous administration] and the mechanisms he’s put in place are working.”

“不管總統(tǒng)是誰(shuí)，本屆政府就像一個(gè)外交政策夢(mèng)之隊(duì)，”另一位駐華盛頓大使表示，理由是國(guó)務(wù)院、國(guó)防部、國(guó)家安全委員會(huì)、財(cái)政部及商務(wù)部的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)官員有著高超能力。“特朗普(比上屆政府)更善于放權(quán)，他建立的機(jī)制正在發(fā)揮作用。”

The former senior state department official says Mr Trump’s decision to parcel out some foreign policy issues to individuals outside of the state department, such as giving Mr Kushner a role in policy towards the Middle East, is also in keeping with past administrations that have sometimes assigned subjects as varied as Cuba and Israel-Palestine to the White House.

上述前國(guó)務(wù)院高官表示，特朗普將部分外交政策問(wèn)題分派給國(guó)務(wù)院以外的人——例如讓庫(kù)什納在中東政策上發(fā)揮作用——的決定，與以往的政府相比也不算出格，往屆政府有時(shí)會(huì)將諸如古巴、巴以沖突等各類(lèi)不同問(wèn)題交給白宮處理。

Additional reporting by Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

迪米(Demetri Sevastopulo)華盛頓補(bǔ)充報(bào)道

Twitter: @KatrinaManson

譯者/申凱