书城外语在哈佛听演讲
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第30章 美国和欧洲:我们如何应对不断变化的世界秩序(1)

The United States and Europe :How Can We Face the Changing World Order

演讲人:Dominique de Villepin 多米尼克·德维尔潘

All of us here know that we are standing at a major crossroads in the evolution of our planet.

In the past few years,our world has changed.Glob a l i za t ion h a s pr o fou nd ly sh a ken t he g r ea t international balances.It"s a formidable challenge for all of us:a risk,but also an opportunity.

If we want to remain in control of these changes,we must better analyze them and better understand them together.

That"s what I propose to you today:Let us leave our certainties by the wayside,see the world as it is,and together move forward toward greater justice and peace.

1.The lack of a world order is the real threat today.

In the past,we had two great spheres of influence,the West and the East.We had two superpowers,the United States and the USSR.The balancing point in this power relationship might have been unstable and dangerous,but it existed.Today this balancing point no longer exists.The center has disappeared.In today"s world,there"s nothing imposing order on the disorder of the planet.

Certainly there are multilateral institutions.But they can"t work to their full extent to establish true globa l gover nance.Nation"s,commitments within these institutions are not always on a par with the stakes.Unilateral decisions call their legitimacy into question.Yet make no mistake:The sum of individual interests does not add up to the general interest.Multilateralism"s legitimacy will be built by States on behalf of the values that transcend us.

It"s true that some countries have more influence than others.But none can impose a new world order on their own.

Can"t the United States play this role despite everything?Indeed,it remains the leading power;it alone has all the necessary attributes:the military strength,the economic power,the capacity for technological in novat ion ,t he at t ract ivene ss of it s way of l i fe.T hroughout the 20th centur y,it was also able to construct an economic and cultural model,and forged an ideal of modernity that inspired the admiration of the rest of the world.For us you represented the camp of freedom.You were the guarantors of human rights.

And personally speaking,after having lived in the United States and come to love your country,I want to tell you that America remains a dream for many people throughout the world.

But now let"s take a clear look at things:The war in Iraq marked a turning point.It shattered America"s image.It undermined the image of the West as a whole.It is time for the United States and Europe to regain together the respect and admiration of other peoples.

The world disorder is aggravated by a sense of deep injustice.

Our world is experiencing unprecedented technical progress.It is creating more wealth,offering more opportunities than ever.This presents an opportunity for all those-countries ,nations ,businesses,individuals-who have the necessary assets to profit from these upheavals.

But for many others,this shift means growing inequalities,new risks and heightened fears.

T hese fea rs exist in Europe,a nd nota bly in France,where some are afraid of a challenge to our model of social justice.

In the area of social rights and legal norms,g loba lizat ion did not br ing va r ious r u les closer together:Competition is occurring on a global scale but it is asymmetrical.New commercial balances are leading to outsourcing and endangering the social entitlement programs of developed countries.

These risks strike first at those who are weakest,those who have no education and no skills,those who have no access to world culture.I want to say this to you,who are the elite of international education.You have a responsibility toward all those who did not have your good fortune.Harvard is something people dream about.Harvard must also make proposals,offer help,commit itself to remedying the world"s disorders.

But these risks are also beginning to affect the middle classes,who feel increasingly fragile,with some growing impoverished.If globalization is to end with the disappearance of the middle classes or a confrontation between the poorest and a minority consisting of the very rich,then it is time to react.Diversity is key to society;balance is key to society.No people will tolerate growing inequalities in the long term.

What"s true on the national scale is true on the planetary scale.Globalization is destabilizing some developing countries,undermining their economies.Consequently,it is heightening ethnic and religious tensions.It is threatening the planet"s natural resources and its balance.

T his is the world we live in:a world that is more complex and more unstable than ever.This global disorder is neither superficial nor temporary.It is perpetuating deep imbalances.

The imbalances between economic and demographic ,first of all,that are sparking more and more massive migrations.This isa major challenge,not just for developed countries but also for the countries of the South themselves,which are faced with the risk of losing a significant part of their yout h,sometimes t he most skilled,or threatened with instability by the passage of more and more numerous mig rants.

That"s why it is so important to build partnerships with those countries,making it possible to better control migrations while actively promoting co-development.Nor should we neglect the importance of new strategic challenges such as the fight against pandemics,the protection of global assets,energy security and the access to natural resources,particularly water.