来源：财经会议资讯（ID：fci0630）
翻译：报告厅翻译组
更多信息请查看：www.baogaoting.com


针对目前的阿富汗局势，美国总统拜登（Joe Biden）8月16日在白宫东厢发表了讲话。
以下是拜登演讲中英全文：
“美国军队不能也不应该在一场阿富汗军队不愿意为自己而战的战争中战斗和牺牲。”
“American troops cannot and should not befighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing tofight for themselves."
拜登总统就阿富汗局势发表讲话
Remarks by President Biden on Afghanistan
美国东部时间下午4:02
East Room 4:02 P.M. EDT 
总统：下午好。今天，我想谈谈阿富汗目前的局势:上周发生的事态发展，以及我们为应对迅速演变的局势而采取的步骤。
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon. I want tospeak today to the unfolding situation in Afghanistan: the developments thathave taken place in the last week and the steps we’re taking to address therapidly evolving events.
我的国家安全团队和我一直在密切监视阿富汗的当地局势，并迅速采取行动，执行我们为应对每一个选区而制定的计划，包括——以及应急——包括我们现在看到的迅速崩溃。
My national security team and I have beenclosely monitoring the situation on the ground in Afghanistan and movingquickly to execute the plans we had put in place to respond to everyconstituency, including — and contingency — including the rapid collapse we’reseeing now.
稍后，我将详细介绍我们正在采取的具体步骤，但我想提醒大家，我们是如何走到这一步的，以及美国在阿富汗的利益是什么。
I’ll speak more in a moment about thespecific steps we’re taking, but I want to remind everyone how we got here andwhat America’s interests are in Afghanistan.
大约20年前，我们带着明确的目标前往阿富汗：抓住那些在2001年9月11日袭击我们的人，确保基地组织不能利用阿富汗作为再次袭击我们的基地。
We went to Afghanistan almost 20 years agowith clear goals: get those who attacked us on September 11th, 2001, and makesure al Qaeda could not use Afghanistan as a base from which to attack usagain.
我们做到了。我们在阿富汗严重打击了基地组织。我们从未放弃追捕奥萨马·本·拉登，我们抓住了他。那是十年前的事了。
We did that. We severely degraded al Qaedain Afghanistan. We never gave up the hunt for Osama bin Laden, and we got him.That was a decade ago.
我们在阿富汗的任务从来就不应该是国家建设。它从来就不应该创造一个统一的，集中的民主政治。
Our mission in Afghanistan was neversupposed to have been nation building. It was never supposed to be creating aunified, centralized democracy.
今天，我们在阿富汗唯一重要的国家利益仍然一如既往：防止恐怖分子对美国本土的袭击。
Our only vital national interest inAfghanistan remains today what it has always been: preventing a terroristattack on American homeland.
多年来，我一直主张，我们的使命应该局限于反恐，而不是反叛乱或国家建设。这就是为什么我在2009年担任副总统时反对增兵计划的原因。
I’ve argued for many years that our missionshould be narrowly focused on counterterrorism — not counterinsurgency ornation building.  That’s why I opposedthe surge when it was proposed in 2009 when I was Vice President.
这就是为什么，作为总统，我坚定地认为，我们在2021年将重点放在我们今天面临的威胁上，而不是昨天的威胁。
And that’s why, as President, I am adamantthat we focus on the threats we face today in 2021 — not yesterday’s threats.
如今，恐怖主义威胁已经扩散到阿富汗以外的地方:索马里的青年党、阿拉伯半岛的基地组织、叙利亚的努斯拉阵线、试图在叙利亚和伊拉克建立哈里发政权以及在非洲和亚洲多个国家建立分支的伊斯兰国。这些威胁需要我们的关注和资源。
Today, the terrorist threat hasmetastasized well beyond Afghanistan: al Shabaab in Somalia, al Qaeda in theArabian Peninsula, al-Nusra in Syria, ISIS attempting to create a caliphate inSyria and Iraq and establishing affiliates in multiple countries in Africa andAsia.  These threats warrant ourattention and our resources.
我们在多个国家针对恐怖组织进行有效的反恐行动，而这些国家并没有我们的永久军事存在。
We conduct effective counterterrorismmissions against terrorist groups in multiple countries where we don’t have apermanent military presence.
如有必要，我们将在阿富汗采取同样的行动。我们已经发展了超视距反恐能力，这将使我们能够牢牢盯着该地区对美国的任何直接威胁，并在必要时迅速果断地采取行动。
If necessary, we will do the same inAfghanistan. We’ve developed counterterrorism over-the-horizon capability thatwill allow us to keep our eyes firmly fixed on any direct threats to the UnitedStates in the region and to act quickly and decisively if needed.
当我上任时，我接手了特朗普总统与塔利班谈判达成的协议。根据特朗普达成的协议，美国军队将在2021年5月1日之前撤出阿富汗，也就是在我上任三个多月后。
When I came into office, I inherited a dealthat President Trump negotiated with the Taliban.  Under his agreement, U.S. forces would be outof Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 — just a little over three months after I tookoffice.
在特朗普执政期间，驻扎在阿富汗的美军已经从大约1.55万人缩减到2500人，而塔利班的军事力量处于2001年以来最强大的时期。
U.S. forces had already drawn down duringthe Trump administration from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops incountry, and the Taliban was at its strongest militarily since 2001.
作为你们的总统，我必须做出的选择是，要么继续执行这项协议，要么准备在涌现的战斗季再次与塔利班作战。
The choice I had to make, as yourPresident, was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to goback to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season.
5月1日之后就不会有停火了。5月1日之后，没有达成保护我们军队的协议。5月1日之后，没有美国人伤亡，就没有稳定的现状。
There would have been no ceasefire afterMay 1. There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1. There was nostatus quo of stability without American casualties after May 1.
只有一个残酷的现实：要么按照协议撤出我们的军队，要么将冲突升级，增派数千名美国士兵重返阿富汗战场，让这场战争进入第三个十年。
There was only the cold reality of eitherfollowing through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating theconflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat inAfghanistan, lurching into the third decade of conflict.
我坚定地支持我的决定。20年过去了，我经历了惨痛的教训，才认识到从来都没有什么撤军的好时机。
I stand squarely behind my decision.  After 20 years, I’ve learned the hard waythat there was never a good time to withdraw U.S. forces.
这就是为什么我们还在那里。我们对风险很清楚。我们计划了每一种应急措施。
That’s why we were still there.  We were clear-eyed about the risks.  We planned for every contingency.
但我一直向美国人民保证，我会对你们坦诚相待。事实是:这比我们预期得要快得多。
But I always promised the American peoplethat I will be straight with you.  Thetruth is: This did unfold more quickly than we had anticipated.
那么，发生什么事了？阿富汗的政治领导人放弃了，逃离了这个国家。阿富汗军队崩溃了，有时甚至没有进行战斗。
So what’s happened?  Afghanistan political leaders gave up andfled the country.  The Afghan militarycollapsed, sometimes without trying to fight.
如果说有什么不同的话，那就是过去一周的事态发展进一步表明，现在结束美国在阿富汗的军事介入是一个正确的决定。
If anything, the developments of the pastweek reinforced that ending U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan now wasthe right decision.
美国军队不能也不应该在一场阿富汗军队不愿意为自己而战的战争中战斗和牺牲。我们花了超过一万亿美元。我们训练并装备了一支约30万人的阿富汗军队——装备精良得令人难以置信——这支军队的规模超过了我们许多北约盟国的军队。
American troops cannot and should not befighting in a war and dying in a war that Afghan forces are not willing tofight for themselves.  We spent over atrillion dollars.  We trained andequipped an Afghan military force of some 300,000 strong — incredibly wellequipped — a force larger in size than the militaries of many of our NATOallies.
我们给了他们所需要的一切工具。我们支付了他们的薪水，为他们的空军提供了维护——这是塔利班所没有的。塔利班没有空军。我们提供了近距离空中支援。
We gave them every tool they couldneed.  We paid their salaries, providedfor the maintenance of their air force — something the Taliban doesn’thave.  Taliban does not have an airforce.  We provided close air support.
我们给了他们决定自己未来的机会。我们不能提供给他们的是为未来而战的意愿。
We gave them every chance to determinetheir own future.  What we could notprovide them was the will to fight for that future.
有一些非常勇敢和能干的阿富汗特种部队和士兵，但如果阿富汗现在无法对塔利班发动任何真正的抵抗，那么1年—— 1年、5年或再多20年，美军在地面上的军事行动将不会有任何改变。
There’s some very brave and capable Afghanspecial forces units and soldiers, but if Afghanistan is unable to mount anyreal resistance to the Taliban now, there is no chance that 1 year — 1 moreyear, 5 more years, or 20 more years of U.S. military boots on the groundwould’ve made any difference.
这是我的核心信念:当阿富汗自己的武装部队不愿采取行动时，命令美国军队加紧行动是错误的。如果阿富汗的政治领导人都无法为了人民的利益走到一起,不能在关键时刻为国家的未来进行谈判，他们就永远不会这样做，而美国军队仍然在阿富汗为他们首当其冲的战斗。
And here’s what I believe to my core: It iswrong to order American troops to step up when Afghanistan’s own armed forceswould not.  If the political leaders ofAfghanistan were unable to come together for the good of their people, unableto negotiate for the future of their country when the chips were down, theywould never have done so while U.S. troops remained in Afghanistan bearing thebrunt of the fighting for them.
而我们真正的战略竞争对手——中国和俄罗斯——会比美国更希望继续投入数十亿美元的资源和注意力来无限期地稳定阿富汗局势。
And our true strategic competitors — Chinaand Russia — would love nothing more than the United States to continue tofunnel billions of dollars in resources and attention into stabilizingAfghanistan indefinitely.
当我6月份在白宫接见了加尼总统和阿卜杜拉主席时，7月份再次与加尼总统通电话时，我们进行了非常坦率的对话。我们讨论了在美军撤离后，阿富汗应该如何准备打他们的内战，以清理政府中的腐败，这样政府才能为阿富汗人民服务。我们广泛讨论了阿富汗领导人在政治上团结的必要性。
When I hosted President Ghani and ChairmanAbdullah at the White House in June and again when I spoke by phone to Ghani inJuly, we had very frank conversations. We talked about how Afghanistan should prepare to fight their civil warsafter the U.S. military departed, to clean up the corruption in government sothe government could function for the Afghan people.  We talked extensively about the need forAfghan leaders to unite politically.
他们没有做到这一点。
They failed to do any of that.
我还敦促他们采取外交手段，寻求与塔利班的政治解决方案。这一建议遭到断然拒绝。加尼总统坚称阿富汗军队会战斗，但显然他错了。
I also urged them to engage in diplomacy,to seek a political settlement with the Taliban.  This advice was flatly refused.  Mr. Ghani insisted the Afghan forces wouldfight, but obviously he was wrong.
因此，我要再次问那些主张我们应该留在阿富汗的人：你们还想让我派多少美国的儿女去和阿富汗人打一场阿富汗内战，而阿富汗军队却不愿意作战? 还有多少生命——美国人的生命——值得吗? 阿灵顿国家公墓有多少排无穷无尽的墓碑?
So I’m left again to ask of those who arguethat we should stay: How many more generations of America’s daughters and sonswould you have me send to fight Afghans — Afghanistan’s civil war when Afghantroops will not?   How many more lives —American lives — is it worth?  How manyendless rows of headstones at Arlington National Cemetery?
我的回答很清楚：我不会重复我们过去所犯的错误——在一场不符合美国国家利益的冲突中无限期地坚持和战斗，在国外加倍发动内战，试图通过无休止的美军部署重建一个国家。
I’m clear on my answer: I will not repeatthe mistakes we’ve made in the past — the mistake of staying and fightingindefinitely in a conflict that is not in the national interest of the UnitedStates, of doubling down on a civil war in a foreign country, of attempting toremake a country through the endless military deployments of U.S. forces.
这些都是我们不能继续重复的错误，因为我们在世界上有着不容忽视的至关重要的利益。
Those are the mistakes we cannot continueto repeat, because we have significant vital interests in the world that wecannot afford to ignore.
我也想承认这对我们很多人来说是多么痛苦。我们在阿富汗看到的场景令人心痛，尤其是对我们的退伍军人、外交官、人道主义工作者，以及那些在阿富汗人民的支持下工作过的人来说。
I also want to acknowledge how painful thisis to so many of us.  The scenes we’reseeing in Afghanistan, they’re gut-wrenching, particularly for our veterans,our diplomats, humanitarian workers, for anyone who has spent time on theground working to support the Afghan people.
对于那些在阿富汗失去亲人的人，对于那些在阿富汗战斗和服役的美国人——在阿富汗为我们的国家服役——这是非常非常个人化的。
For those who have lost loved ones inAfghanistan and for Americans who have fought and served in the country — serveour country in Afghanistan — this is deeply, deeply personal.
对我来说也是如此。我和其他人一样长期从事这些问题的工作。在这场战争期间，当战争正在进行时，我一直在阿富汗各地-从喀布尔到坎大哈到库纳尔河谷。
It is for me as well.  I’ve worked on these issues as long asanyone.  I’ve been throughout Afghanistanduring this war — while the war was going on — from Kabul to Kandahar to theKunar Valley.
我曾在四个不同的场合去过那里。我与人民见面。我与领导人交谈过。我与我们的部队相处了一段时间。我亲身了解到在阿富汗什么是可能的，什么是不可能的。
I’ve traveled there on four differentoccasions.  I met with the people.  I’ve spoken to the leaders.  I spent time with our troops.  And I came to understand firsthand what wasand was not possible in Afghanistan.
因此，现在我们正在努力[原文如此]-专注于可能的事情。
So, now we’re fercus [sic] — focused onwhat is possible.
我们将继续支持阿富汗人民。我们将以我们的外交、我们的国际影响力和我们的人道主义援助来进行领导。
We will continue to support the Afghanpeople.  We will lead with our diplomacy,our international influence, and our humanitarian aid.
我们将继续推动区域外交和参与，以防止暴力和不稳定。
We’ll continue to push for regionaldiplomacy and engagement to prevent violence and instability.
我们将继续为阿富汗人民-妇女和女孩-的基本权利大声疾呼，正如我们在世界各地大声疾呼一样。
We’ll continue to speak out for the basicrights of the Afghan people — of women and girls — just as we speak out allover the world.
我一直很清楚，人权必须是我们外交政策的中心，而不是边缘。但是，做到这一点的方法不是通过无休止的军事部署；而是通过我们的外交、我们的经济工具，以及号召世界加入我们。
I have been clear that human rights must bethe center of our foreign policy, not the periphery.  But the way to do it is not through endlessmilitary deployments; it’s with our diplomacy, our economic tools, and rallyingthe world to join us.
现在，让我介绍一下目前在阿富汗的任务。我被要求授权-我也确实授权了-6000名美国士兵部署到阿富汗，目的是协助美国和盟国的文职人员离开阿富汗，并将我们的阿富汗盟友和脆弱的阿富汗人疏散到阿富汗境外的安全地带。
Now, let me lay out the current mission inAfghanistan.  I was asked to authorize —and I did — 6,000 U.S. troops to deploy to Afghanistan for the purpose ofassisting in the departure of U.S. and Allied civilian personnel fromAfghanistan, and to evacuate our Afghan allies and vulnerable Afghans to safetyoutside of Afghanistan.
我们的士兵正在努力确保机场的安全，并确保民用和军用航班的持续运行。我们正在接管空中交通管制。
Our troops are working to secure theairfield and to ensure continued operation of both the civilian and militaryflights.  We’re taking over air trafficcontrol.
我们已经安全地关闭了我们的大使馆并转移了我们的外交官。我们的外交影响现在也在机场得到了巩固。
We have safely shut down our embassy andtransferred our diplomats.  Our dip- —our diplomatic presence is now consolidated at the airport as well.
在未来几天，我们打算把在阿富汗生活和工作的数千名美国公民运送出去。
Over the coming days, we intend totransport out thousands of American citizens who have been living and workingin Afghanistan.
我们还将继续支持文职人员-仍然在阿富汗服务的我们盟国的文职人员的安全撤离。
We’ll also continue to support the safedeparture of civilian personnel — the civilian personnel of our Allies who arestill serving in Afghanistan.
我在7月宣布的“盟友避难[庇护]行动”，已经将2000名有资格获得特别移民签证的阿富汗人和他们的家人转移到美国。
Operation Allies Refugee [Refuge], which Iannounced back in July, has already moved 2,000 Afghans who are eligible forSpecial Immigration Visas and their families to the United States.
在未来几天，美国军方将提供援助，将更多符合特别移民签证条件的阿富汗人及其家人迁出阿富汗。
In the coming days, the U.S. military willprovide assistance to move more SIV-eligible Afghans and their families out ofAfghanistan.
我们还在扩大难民准入范围，以涵盖为我国大使馆、美国的非政府机构，或美国的非政府组织以及美国的新闻机构工作的其他处于弱势的阿富汗人；以及在其他方面面临巨大风险的阿富汗人。
We’re also expanding refugee access tocover other vulnerable Afghans who worked for our embassy: U.S.non-governmental agencies — or the U.S. non-governmental organizations; andAfghans who otherwise are at great risk; and U.S. news agencies.
我知道，有人担心我们为什么不早点开始疏散阿富汗人，疏散平民。答案的一部分是一些阿富汗人不想早点离开，他们对自己的国家仍然充满希望。而部分原因是阿富汗政府及其支持者不鼓励我们组织大规模的撤离，以避免引发他们所说的"信任危机"。
I know that there are concerns about why wedid not begin evacuating Afghans — civilians sooner.  Part of the answer is some of the Afghans didnot want to leave earlier — still hopeful for their country.  And part of it was because the Afghangovernment and its supporters discouraged us from organizing a mass exodus toavoid triggering, as they said, “a crisis of confidence.”
美国士兵像往常一样专业而高效地执行这一任务，但并非没有风险。
American troops are performing this missionas professionally and as effectively as they always do, but it is not withoutrisks.
在我们执行这次撤离时，我们已经向塔利班明确表示：如果他们袭击我们的人员或破坏我们的行动，美国的部队派遣将是迅速的，反应也将是迅速而有力的。如果有必要，我们将以毁灭性的力量保卫我们的人民。
As we carry out this departure, we havemade it clear to the Taliban: If they attack our personnel or disrupt ouroperation, the U.S. presence will be swift and the response will be swift andforceful.  We will defend our people withdevastating force if necessary.
我们目前的军事任务在时间上将是短暂的，范围上是有限的，目标是集中的：尽快将我们的人民和我们的盟友送到安全地带。
Our current military mission will be shortin time, limited in scope, and focused in its objectives: Get our people andour allies to safety as quickly as possible.
一旦我们完成这一任务，我们将结束我们的军事撤退。我们将在长达20年的流血冲突后结束美国最漫长的战争。
And once we have completed this mission, wewill conclude our military withdrawal. We will end America’s longest war after 20 long years of bloodshed.
我们现在看到的事件可悲地证明，再多的军事力量也无法提供一个稳定、统一和安全的阿富汗-在历史上被称为"帝国的坟场"。
The events we’re seeing now are sadly proofthat no amount of military force would ever deliver a stable, united, andsecure Afghanistan — as known in history as the “graveyard of empires.”
现在发生的事情可能在5年前或15年后同样容易发生。我们必须坦诚：我们在阿富汗的任务已经走了很多弯路-在过去20年里走了很多弯路。
What is happening now could just as easilyhave happened 5 years ago or 15 years in the future.  We have to be honest: Our mission inAfghanistan has taken many missteps — made many missteps over the past twodecades.
我现在是第四位主持阿富汗战争的美国总统-四位总统中有两位民主党人和两位共和党人。我不会把这个责任转交给第五位总统。
I’m now the fourth American President topreside over war in Afghanistan — two Democrats and two Republicans.  I will not pass this responsibly on —responsibility on to a fifth President.
我不会误导美国人民，声称只要在阿富汗多待一会儿就会有很大的改观。我也不会逃避我对我们今天的处境以及我们必须从这里向前迈进的那份责任。
I will not mislead the American people byclaiming that just a little more time in Afghanistan will make all thedifference.  Nor will I shrink from myshare of responsibility for where we are today and how we must move forwardfrom here.
我是美利坚合众国的总统，责任由我承担。
I am President of the United States ofAmerica, and the buck stops with me.
我对我们现在面临的事实深感悲痛。但我不后悔我决定结束美国在阿富汗的作战行动，并保持对我们在那里和世界其他地区的反恐任务的高度关注。
I am deeply saddened by the facts we nowface.  But I do not regret my decision toend America’s warfighting in Afghanistan and maintain a laser-focus on ourcounterterrorism missions there and in other parts of the world.
我们在阿富汗削弱基地组织的恐怖威胁并杀死乌萨马·本·拉登的任务是成功的
Our mission to degrade the terrorist threatof al Qaeda in Afghanistan and kill Osama bin Laden was a success.
我们为克服几个世纪的历史并永久地改变和重塑阿富汗所做的数十年努力并不成功，我写到这一点并相信它永远不可能成功。
Our decades-long effort to overcomecenturies of history and permanently change and remake Afghanistan was not, andI wrote and believed it never could be.
我不能也不会要求我们的士兵在另一个国家的内战中无休止地战斗下去，造成伤亡，遭受致命损伤，而家庭因悲痛和损失而支离破碎。
I cannot and I will not ask our troops tofight on endlessly in another — in another country’s civil war, takingcasualties, suffering life-shattering injuries, leaving families broken bygrief and loss.
这不符合我们的国家安全利益。这不是美国人民想要的。我们的士兵在过去20年中牺牲了那么多，这不是他们应该得到的。
This is not in our national securityinterest.  It is not what the Americanpeople want.  It is not what our troops,who have sacrificed so much over the past two decades, deserve.
我在竞选总统时向美国人民承诺，我将结束美国在阿富汗的军事介入。虽然这很艰难，也很混乱-是的，远非完美-但我已经履行了这一承诺。
I made a commitment to the American peoplewhen I ran for President that I would bring America’s military involvement inAfghanistan to an end.  And while it’sbeen hard and messy — and yes, far from perfect — I’ve honored that commitment.
更重要的是，我向为这个国家服务的勇敢的男人和女人承诺，我不会要求他们继续在一场早就应该结束的军事行动中冒生命危险。
More importantly, I made a commitment tothe brave men and women who serve this nation that I wasn’t going to ask themto continue to risk their lives in a military action that should have endedlong ago.
当我作为一个年轻人来到这里时，我们的领导人在越南就这样做了。我不会在阿富汗这样做。
Our leaders did that in Vietnam when I gothere as a young man.  I will not do it inAfghanistan.
我知道我的决定会受到批评，但我宁愿接受所有这些批评，也不愿把这个决策转交给另一位美国总统-又一位-第五位。
I know my decision will be criticized, butI would rather take all that criticism than pass this decision on to anotherPresident of the United States — yet another one — a fifth one.
因为这是一个正确的决定-这对我们的人民来说是正确的决定。对我们冒着生命危险为国家服务的勇敢的军人来说是正确的。而且这对美国来说是正确的。
Because it’s the right one — it’s the rightdecision for our people.  The right onefor our brave service members who have risked their lives serving ournation.  And it’s the right one forAmerica.
所以，谢谢你们。愿上帝保护我们的士兵，我们的外交官，以及所有在危险中为国效力的勇敢的美国人。
So, thank you.  May God protect our troops, our diplomats,and all of the brave Americans serving in harm’s way.
美国东部时间下午4:21
4:21 P.M. EDT
继续阅读
阅读原文