“THE United States is a damned country that deserves only to be cursed. It declares its own occupation of our lands legitimate, but brands our resistance as terrorists.” This was not the Libyan leader, Muammar Qaddafi, speaking 20 years ago, when his country was a pariah[1] and he was the butt[2] of international scorn. The words were spoken only last month, by the Libyan parliament’s deputy speaker, Ahmed Ibrahim, at a g________① in Tripoli, Libya’s capital, to commemorate its bombing by American aircraft in 1986.
Mr Ibrahim’s stridency[3] was, perhaps, inspired by America’s decision, in March, to keep Libya on its official list of state sponsors of terrorism, a dubious distinction it has held since 1979. All the more striking, then, that the American administration should have decided, this week, to restore full diplomatic relations.
In fact, the two countries have been edging closer for years—for reasons of pure realpolitik[4]. Mr Qaddafi's regime is certainly less bad than it was. It has not t________② anyone outside its own borders for a long time. It has opened its economy a crack to foreign investors, invited tourism and slightly lifted oppressive controls on its own citizens. （1）But none of those things matters as much to America as big oil, alliances in the fight against Islamist extremism and the scoring of points in the current stand-off[5] over Iran's nuclear ambitions.
事实上，多年来两国已经越走越近——纯粹是因为强权政治。卡扎菲政权肯定要比过去有所改善，很久以来都未在本国领土以外进行过恐怖活动，经济上渐渐对外国投资者开放，并开始发展旅游事业，对本国公民的高压管控也有所放松。但是对于美国而言，这些都算不了什么。丰富的石油、结盟对抗伊斯兰极端主义以及在当前伊朗核危机僵局中赢得优势，才是美国真正想要的。（译者按：本句的主结构应该是“none of those things matters as much as……to America”，意为“对美国而言，比起……来，那些都无关紧要。”）
Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa, safely distant from the Persian Gulf, and has historically cosy[6] relations with American oil firms. More crucial to the Bush administration has been Libya's importance in countering al-Qaeda and its offshoots. （2）Mr Qaddafi's intelligence services, once feared as global troublemakers, are among the most ruthless in the region. Ever since Libya's leader was himself targeted for assassination by Muslim radicals (at least twice in the 1990s), he has been one of their keenest foes作者: 幽幽草 时间: 2007-8-7 11:30 标题: 《经济学家》读译参考:另类热情拥抱（三）
Seizing the opportunity of the attacks on America in 2001, Libyan intelligence has co-operated fulsomely[7] with sister agencies. It has helped i_______③ prisoners at Guantánamo and joined in an American-sponsored plan to track and contain Islamist guerrillas across the Sahara. （3）Among other rewards, it has secured the “rendition[8]” of Libyan Islamists nabbed[9] by the Americans as far afield as Afghanistan, Thailand and Hong Kong.
Equally significant was Mr Qaddafi's decision, in 2003, to let British and American experts take apart his secret weapons programme, bringing a windfall of information about global smuggling networks. （4）The Americans parade this change of heart as a model for countries such as Iran and North Korea作者: 幽幽草 时间: 2007-8-7 11:31 标题: 《经济学家》读译参考:另类热情拥抱（四）
同样重要的还有卡扎菲在2003年作出的决定，即允许英美专家参与其秘密武器研制计划，透露了一大批令人意外的全球走私网络情报。美国人得意地说，利比亚的幡然悔悟应成为某些国家的榜样，比如伊朗和朝鲜。（译者按：“change of heart”表示“change in attitude”，即“态度的转变”、“看法的转变”。既然美国人是“炫耀”，所以在他们看来，利比亚这是一种“悔悟”。）
Still, why the rush to e________④ ambassadors? One reason may be a rising feeling in Tripoli that being nice to America has brought little reward. （5）Rumblings[10] of dissent, such as Mr Ibrahim's speech, may have prompted the Americans to make a gesture to prevent Mr Qaddafi from again slipping out of the fold. This week President Bush sent Congress a report on Libya which should lead to its removal from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.
可是，两国为什么要急于互派大使呢？原因之一可能是的黎波里愈发觉得善待美国对自己没什么好处。风传的种种不和谐声音，比如易布拉希姆的讲话，对美国人而言是一个鞭笞：要想防止卡扎菲再度背道而驰，就必须有所表示。（译者按：“the fold”的意思是“the group of people that you belong to and share the same beliefs and ideas as”，“同道之人”。）本周布什总统给国会递交了一份关于利比亚的报告，利比亚从恐怖主义援助国的名单中被去掉的日子应该为时不远了。
②t________（vt. to deliberately frighten people by threatening to harm them）作者: 幽幽草 时间: 2007-8-7 11:31 标题: 《经济学家》读译参考:另类热情拥抱（五）
③i________（vt. to ask someone a lot of questions for a long time in order to get information）
④e________（vt. to give someone sth. and receive the same kind of thing from them at the same time）
2. 将划线部分英文翻译成中文：
[NOTES](LONGMAN)
1. pariah n. someone who everyone hates and avoids [= outcast]为众人所痛恨并抛弃的人
2. butt n. （be the butt of something）to be the person or thing that other people often make jokes about笑柄
3. stridency n. 刺耳；尖锐
4. realpolitik n. politics based on practical situations and needs rather than on moral principles or ideas实力政治；现实政治
5. stand-off n. a situation in which neither side in a fight or battle can gain an advantage和局，平衡，相互抵消；制衡
6. cosy adj. having a close connection or relationship, especially one you do not approve of关系亲密的；暧昧的；勾结的
7. fulsome adj. a fulsome speech or piece of writing sounds insincere because it contains too much praise, expressions of thanks etc过分的；过度的；过于做作的；令人感到不快的（恭维）
8. rendition n. 表演；翻译
9. nab vt. 1）to catch or arrest someone who is doing something wrong:捉住；逮捕
2）to get something or someone quickly, especially before anyone else can get them:抢夺
10. rumblings n. remarks that show that people are starting to become annoyed, or that a difficult situation is developing风言风语；谣传
