Who is the anti-Trump? The human opposite of him? Robert Mueller, who once investigated the US president, had a strong claim. He spent the great bulk of his career in unremunerative public life. He joined the Marines because a friend died in the corps, not despite that fact. In obituaries since his own death last month, the word “integrity” recurs. Donald Trump instead went with: “Good, I’m glad he’s dead.” Perhaps this wasn’t just personal animus talking but also total mystification at the values of someone like Mueller.
谁是特朗普的反面，也就是与他完全相反的人？曾经调查过这位美国总统的罗伯特•穆勒(Robert Mueller)生前是一个很好的候选人。他把自己的大部分职业生涯投入报酬微薄的公职。他的一位朋友在海军陆战队当兵时牺牲，这是他年轻时加入海军陆战队的原因，而不是阻碍因素。在他3月去世后的讣告中，“正直”一词反复出现。而唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)则说：“好事，我很高兴他死了。”也许这不仅仅是个人恩怨在作祟，还有一个原因是他完全无法理解穆勒这样的人的价值观。
Trump does not understand people who believe in things. Recognise this blind spot, and his current struggles abroad become easier to explain.
特朗普不理解那些有信念的人。认识到他的这一盲点，他当下在国际上的挣扎就比较容易解释。
If Iran has put up more of a fight than he had expected, that is because it really is devoted to certain causes. The survival of the Islamic revolution is one. National amour propre is another, for the less theologically minded in the regime. Then there is plain hatred of America and Israel. You need not admire these beliefs to recognise their motivating power in Tehran.
如果说伊朗的抵抗比他预期的更顽强，那是因为它确实忠于某些事业。其中之一是伊斯兰革命的存续。另一个是民族自尊——对政权内部神学意识并不那么强的人而言。还有就是对美国和以色列的仇恨。你无需认同这些信念，就能意识到它们在德黑兰的驱动力。