At least since George Washington served as Commander-in-Chief there have been those who warned against foreign entanglements,
至少从乔治·华盛顿担任三军统帅以来 美国就一直都在提防国外的缠斗
that do not touch directly on our security or economic wellbeing
即便这些缠斗不会直接影响我们的安全或经济
Today, according to self-described realists conflicts in Syria or Ukraine or the Central African Republic are not ours to solve
如今 根据以自我为中心的现实主义者 叙利亚 乌克兰或中非共和国的冲突 并不是我们要解决的
And not surprisingly, after costly wars and continuing challenges here at home that view is shared by many Americans
毫不奇怪 在经历过代价沉重的战争和国内持续的挑战之后 很多美国人都开始认同了这一观点
A different view from interventionists from the left and right says that we ignore these conflicts at our own peril
来自左翼和右翼的干涉主义者则持有不同观点 他们认为 忽视这些冲突将置我们于危险之中
that America's willingness to apply force around the world is the ultimate safeguard against chaos
美国只有在全世界范围内动用武力 才能最终避免混沌
and America's failure to act in the face of Syrian brutality or Russian provocations
在叙利亚暴乱和俄罗斯挑衅的情况下 美国未能动武
not only violates our conscience, but invites escalating aggression in the future
不仅有违我们的良知还有可能助长未来冲突的升级
And each side can point to history to support its claims
双方都能援引历史 佐证自己的观点
But I believe neither view fully speaks to the demands of this moment
不过我认为 两种观点都没能切中时代的要求
It is absolutely true that in the 21st century American isolationism is not an option
毫无疑问 二十一世纪的美国不可能走孤立主义的道路
We don't have a choice to ignore what happens beyond our borders
忽略境外发生的事情 对美国而言肯定是不可取的
If nuclear materials are not secure, that poses a danger to American cities
如果不安全处置核材料 美国城市就会受到威胁
As the Syrian civil war spills across borders the capacity of battle-hardened extremist groups to come after us only increases
随着叙利亚内战跨过国界 战斗技能得到强化的极端主义者只会对我们威胁更大
