Sometimes one must look at the big picture. On July 4 2026, the US will celebrate its 250th year of independence. The declaration of independence itself stated that: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” These ideas were imperfectly realised. A civil war and the civil rights movement were still to come. Yet the birth of the United States of America was to be a hugely significant moment.
有时一个人必须看大局。2026年7月4日，美国将庆祝独立250周年。《独立宣言》说：“我们认为以下真理是不言而喻的：人人生而平等，造物主赋予他们若干不可剥夺的权利，其中包括生命权、自由权和追求幸福的权利。”这些理想当时并没有完全实现。内战和民权运动仍将继续。然而，美利坚合众国的诞生是一个非常重要的时刻。
The US had the potential to become the first truly mighty republic since the Roman one, which perished at the battle of Actium in 31BC. Without US power, a German or a Russian dictatorship would have surely conquered Europe. Without the US example, democratic capitalism would not have spread across the world. This would be a far poorer world, beset by all the ills of despotism.
美国本来有潜力成为自公元前31年在亚克兴战役中灭亡的罗马共和国之后第一个真正强大的共和国。如果没有美国的力量，德国或俄罗斯的独裁统治肯定会征服欧洲。如果没有美国的榜样，民主资本主义就不会在世界各地传播。那会是一个贫穷得多的世界，被专制主义的种种弊病所困扰。
As I argued in a 2016 column, Donald Trump’s arrival on the political scene puts all this at stake. The peril is far closer today. He survived his attempt to overthrow the result of the 2020 presidential election, to return triumphantly in 2024. Trump is unchained. The energy of this administration is transforming the world.
正如我在2016年的一篇专栏文章中指出的那样，唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)登上政治舞台让这一切都岌岌可危。今天，危险更近了。他在企图推翻2020年总统选举结果后安然无恙，并在2024年成功回归。特朗普毫无约束了。本届政府的能量正在改变世界。