在華盛頓摸不著門路的外交官們

It is the global policy capital that lives and dies by politics and prides itself on networking. But nearly five months after US president Donald Trump stepped into the Oval Office, diplomats are still scrambling for Washington DC’s chief commodity — access.

這里是全球政策之都，因政治而興衰，以人脈關系網為榮。但在美國總統(tǒng)唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)入主橢圓形辦公室(Oval Office)近5個月后，各國外交官們仍在爭搶華盛頓特區(qū)的“主要商品”——門路。

As foreign missions try to make sense of the new president and discern his administration's policies, the so-called “whispering gallery of Washington” is swapping cocktail conversation for veranda venting.

在外國使團想方設法弄清楚這位新總統(tǒng)及其政府的政策時，所謂的“華盛頓耳語廊”正在將雞尾酒談話轉換成走廊發(fā)泄。

“Was there a briefing?” inquires an ambassador posted to DC who is aghast to be left out of the loop on one of Mr Trump’s policy about-turns.

“有詳情介紹嗎?”一名駐華盛頓的大使問道，他驚惶地發(fā)現自己已被落在關于特朗普一項政策轉變的情報圈子之外。

Elsewhere, another diplomat shakes his head, unsure to whom he should direct his questions: “State department is a mere skeleton.”

在另外一個地方，另一名外交官搖了搖頭，他不知道應去問誰：“國務院只是個空架子。”

The administration has yet to make dozens of senior appointments at the state department and the Pentagon, exposing personnel gaps that add to the sense that the US government lacks clear direction.

特朗普政府尚未作出對國務院和五角大樓(Pentagon)的幾十項高級任命，暴露出的人事空缺加深了外界對本屆美國政府缺乏明確方向的看法。

“Policy is a black box and nobody knows how things are being done,” says a serving state department official, adding that some bureaucrats feel they are being frozen out or given little to do.

“現在的政策是個黑箱，沒人知道是怎樣操作的，”一名現任國務院官員表示。他還說，一些官員感覺自己受到了排擠，或者幾乎無事可做。

Matthew Dallek, a political historian at George Washington University, says such concerns make traditional centres of diplomatic activity in the administration less powerful than in the past. “It’s hard for diplomats to know if the information they’re receiving from state department is reliable and this is in fact what the White House is going to do.”

喬治華盛頓大學(George Washington University)政治史學者馬修•達萊克(Matthew Dallek)表示，此類擔憂使美國政府一些傳統(tǒng)外交活動中心的影響力大不如前。“外交官很難知道他們從國務院得到的信息是否可靠，而這實際上正是白宮要做的。”

At the heart of the chaotic scene is Mr Trump, who in the course of his first few months may not have yet “drained the swamp” as he promised in his campaign speeches, but who has certainly turned it inside out.

在這片混亂局面中，處于核心位置的是特朗普，他在上臺頭幾個月里可能并未像在競選演講中承諾的那樣“排干沼澤”(drain the swamp，原指排干沼澤里的水，以消滅傳播瘧疾的蚊子。這里用來比喻趕走害人蟲，根除腐敗的特權階級的影響——譯者注)，但他無疑已經將整個水塘徹底攪翻。

“Trump is so mercurial and untethered to any core commitments or idea that he is quite unreliable,” says Mr Dallek. “That has cast a pall over traditional statecraft and diplomacy and made it a lot more confusing for diplomats to conduct their work.”

“特朗普如此反復無常且不受任何核心承諾或理念的約束，以至于在外界看來，他相當不靠譜，”達萊克說，“這給美國傳統(tǒng)的治國和外交方略蒙上了一層陰影，而且使外交官們在開展工作時多了很多困惑。”

Mr Trump has criticised America’s allies and courted its adversaries, prompting top cabinet members to reassure alarmed counterparts from Nato to South Korea that he does, in fact, believe in alliances.

特朗普批評美國的盟友，同時拉攏美國的敵人，致使內閣高級成員不得不向驚慌失措的盟友——從北約(Nato)到韓國——保證，特朗普實際上是信任聯盟的。

“There is no gap between the president and myself or the state department on policy,” said Rex Tillerson, US secretary of state, this week, seeking to refute a widely held impression that they contradicted each other over the approach to Qatar after the region cut ties with the country. “There are differences in terms of how the president chooses to articulate elements of that policy.”

“總統(tǒng)與我本人或國務院之間在政策方面沒有分歧，”美國國務卿雷克斯•蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson)上周表示，試圖駁斥外界廣泛抱有的一種印象，即在中東多國與卡塔爾斷交后，他倆在如何處理與卡塔爾的關系上產生矛盾。“在總統(tǒng)選擇如何表述這一政策內容方面存在差異。”

Mr Trump’s various articulations are already the focus of study as foreign officials attempt to judge how best to carve out good relations with him and the US.

特朗普的各種表述早已成為研究的焦點，外國官員嘗試判斷如何才能最好地與特朗普及美國打造良好關系。

Chris Ruddy, a friend of Mr Trump and member of his Mar-a-Lago club, said he had been approached by many ambassadors for advice on dealing with Mr Trump.

特朗普的友人、海湖莊園(Mar-a-Lago)俱樂部成員克里斯•拉迪(Chris Ruddy)說，許多大使都曾來找他詢問與特朗普打交道的建議。

“I tell them the same thing: the president is laser-focused on bringing jobs to America. He wants to revive the US economy and feels that the US has gotten the short end of the stick in trade deals and other arrangements,” said Mr Ruddy, head of Newsmax Media.

“我給他們的答復都一樣：總統(tǒng)極為關注給美國帶來就業(yè)的事情。他希望重振美國經濟，且認為美國在貿易協議及其他安排方面受到了不公平待遇，”傳媒機構Newsmax Media的負責人拉迪說。

“They can please the president enormously if they have companies from their countries invest in the US, open businesses, and create jobs, especially in Rust Belt states that have been decimated by globalisation. Countries like Japan, China, and even Saudi Arabia, clearly have figured this out.”

“有些人，如果有來自他們國家的公司在美國投資、開辦企業(yè)并創(chuàng)造就業(yè)，尤其是在那些遭受全球化嚴重沖擊的“銹帶”州，他們就能極大地取悅總統(tǒng)。日本、中國甚至沙特阿拉伯等國家，顯然已經明白了這一點。”

The Japanese in particular tailored their pitch to highlight job creation, and now rejoice that their premier has had more face-time with Mr Trump than any other global leader.

日本人尤其有針對性地突出了他們在美國創(chuàng)造的就業(yè)，他們現在正為本國首相與特朗普面對面會談時間比其他任何全球領導人都長而感到高興。

Others have established telephone hotlines to Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, or daughter Ivanka Trump, both high-up officials in the White House, as a way to gain access to the president. Others turn to flattery, lavishing praise on the former reality television star.

有些國家已經與特朗普的女婿賈里德•庫什納(Jared Kushner)或女兒伊萬卡•特朗普(Ivanka Trump)——兩人都為白宮高官——建立了熱線電話聯系，以此作為接近特朗普總統(tǒng)的一種方式。有的國家轉向恭維，對這位前電視真人秀明星大加溢美之辭。

The British have learnt to focus on his actions and not his words, observers say.

觀察人士稱，英國人已學會關注其行動，而非言辭。

For those still unsure of their standing, diplomats rake over small details for clues about the direction of US policy, perceiving the future of relations with the superpower in something as ordinarily mundane as a handshake.

對于那些仍不確定自身立場的國家而言，外交官們會通過梳理小的細節(jié)尋找關于美國政策走向的線索，從握手之類的尋常事中來預判本國與這個超級大國未來的關系。

"He’s more demonstrative than any other world leader in the way he physically occupies space — as a diplomat you have to factor that into any meeting you might have with him,” says a former senior state department official. “Trump is nakedly obvious whether it’s on Twitter or in an offscript comment or when he shakes your hand — he wants the upper hand in everything he does.”

“他用實際地占據空間的方式，比其他任何一位世界領導人都更加情緒外露——作為一名外交官，假如你有機會與他會面的話，你必須將這一因素考慮進去，”一位前美國國務院高官說，“特朗普在這點上毫不避諱，無論在Twitter上，還是在隨口的評論中，或者當他與你握手時——他希望在所做的每件事上都占據上風。”

While many complain they do not know who to speak to in Washington, others are quick to praise those senior officials whom Mr Trump has actually appointed. Diplomats cite reports of close collaboration between Jim Mattis, secretary of defence, and Mr Tillerson, who meet and speak regularly. They praise the pedigree and experience of HR McMaster, the national security adviser.

雖然許多外交官抱怨不知道在華盛頓該與誰對話，但有些已經急忙稱贊起特朗普任命的高級官員。外交官們引述了關于國防部長吉姆•馬蒂斯(Jim Mattis)與蒂勒森密切協作、經常碰面交談的報道。他們夸贊國家安全顧問赫伯特•雷蒙德•麥克馬斯特(HR McMaster)的出身和經驗。

“This administration is like a foreign policy dream team regardless of who is president,” says another DC-based ambassador, citing the high calibre of leading officials at state, defence, the National Security Council, the Treasury and commerce. “Trump delegates far more [than the previous administration] and the mechanisms he’s put in place are working.”

“不管總統(tǒng)是誰，本屆政府就像一個外交政策夢之隊，”另一位駐華盛頓大使表示，理由是國務院、國防部、國家安全委員會、財政部及商務部的領導官員有著高超能力。“特朗普(比上屆政府)更善于放權，他建立的機制正在發(fā)揮作用。”

The former senior state department official says Mr Trump’s decision to parcel out some foreign policy issues to individuals outside of the state department, such as giving Mr Kushner a role in policy towards the Middle East, is also in keeping with past administrations that have sometimes assigned subjects as varied as Cuba and Israel-Palestine to the White House.

上述前國務院高官表示，特朗普將部分外交政策問題分派給國務院以外的人——例如讓庫什納在中東政策上發(fā)揮作用——的決定，與以往的政府相比也不算出格，往屆政府有時會將諸如古巴、巴以沖突等各類不同問題交給白宮處理。

Additional reporting by Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington

迪米(Demetri Sevastopulo)華盛頓補充報道

Twitter: @KatrinaManson

譯者/申凱