--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 11(IHT/Asahi: September 12,2009)
EDITORIAL: 8 years after 9/11 attacks
９・１１から８年―「テロとの戦い」を超えて
We still remember well the stiffened face of U.S. President George W. Bush that appeared on TV after the surprise terrorist attacks.
画面に映し出されたブッシュ米大統領の張り詰めた表情を思い出す。
On Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked passenger jets slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, killing more than 3,000 people.
８年前の９月１１日、ハイジャックされた旅客機がニューヨークの世界貿易センターや首都の国防総省に突っ込み、３千人以上が犠牲になった。
In a televised speech, Bush called the terror attacks "an act of war" and pledged retaliation against the perpetrators, declaring war against international terrorism.
テレビを通じて「これは戦争行為だ」と語ったブッシュ氏は犯人への報復を誓い、国際テロに対する「戦争」を宣言した。
"Bush's war," which started with the U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan, eventually led to the invasion of Iraq. The death toll among U.S. soldiers in the Iraq war alone has surpassed the number of victims in the Sept. 11 attacks. And a far larger number of Iraqi civilians have died in the conflict.
アフガン攻撃で始まった「ブッシュ氏の戦争」はイラク攻撃につながっていく。イラクだけで９・１１テロの犠牲者数を超える米軍兵士が命を落とした。それをはるかに上回るイラクの民間人が犠牲になった。
This year, Bush, who kept claiming that the war against terrorism was justified, left the White House and President Barack Obama took office. A key slogan of the new administration is reconciliation with Islam.
そして今年、「対テロ戦争」の正義を訴え続けたブッシュ氏に代わって、オバマ大統領が登場した。新政権のキーワードは「イスラムとの和解」である。
Bush's war against terrorism has been replaced by a confrontation with violent extremism.
「対テロ戦争」は「暴力的過激主義との対決」にとって代わられた。
The policy change is based on the lessons learned from eight years of appalling destruction, huge casualty numbers, deep sorrow and profound anger. The U.S. government has shifted from the previous policy of dividing the world simply into the terrorist camp and the rest and battering all the forces it regards as terrorists with overwhelming military power.
８年間に及ぶすさまじい破壊と犠牲、悲しみと怒り。その教訓に立っての変化である。相手を「テロリストか否か」で単純に二分し、「テロリスト」とみなせば圧倒的な軍事力でたたくという路線からの転換だ。
The new U.S. strategy for terrorism involves tackling the factors that breed support for the extremists, such as undemocratic politics, injustice, poverty and economic stagnation. It also seeks to use dialogue to build relations of mutual trust with people from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
非民主的な政治や不正義、貧困、経済の停滞といった、過激派への支持を生んでいる土壌に切り込む。文化や宗教の異なる人々とも対話を通じて信頼を築いていく。そんな新しい戦略が読み取れる。
The world has welcomed this new direction.
この方向性を世界は歓迎した。
Meanwhile in Japan, the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party, which solidly supported Bush's war against terrorism, will be replaced by the Democratic Party of Japan, which opposed the Iraq war. It is clearly time for Japan to start pursuing more voluntary efforts in diplomacy and international aid that are different from those of the LDP-led government.
日本でも、ブッシュ流の対テロ戦争支持の自民党から、イラク戦争に反対した民主党に政権が交代する。自民党時代とは違う、日本の主体的な外交や支援の取り組みを構築すべき時である。
It is, however, by no means easy to end a war once it has started. President Obama, who has pledged to seek more international dialogue in grappling with the challenge, is now facing this grim truth. In particular, Obama has sent additional troops to Afghanistan to beef up the U.S. combat force for what he sees as a necessary war. But the situation in Afghanistan appears to be deteriorating steadily.
だが、いったん始めた戦争は簡単に終わらせられない。対話を掲げるオバマ大統領が直面するのは、この冷厳な現実だ。とりわけアフガンにはオバマ氏自身が、必要な戦争として米軍の増派を進めている。しかし、状況は悪化の一途をたどっているように見える。
The Taliban, the Islamist militia that was driven from power, has re-established its presence in many parts of Afghanistan. The current Afghan government's ability to rule the nation has long been in serious doubt. Casualties are also mounting among the mainly European troops of the international force operating in Afghanistan on a peacekeeping mission. Many civilians have been killed by a series of mistaken bombings by coalition forces.
政権を追われたタリバーンが勢力を盛り返した。現地政権の統治能力にはもともと疑問符がつく。欧州諸国などが派遣する国際部隊にも犠牲者が急増している。相次ぐ誤爆で多くの民間人が犠牲になってもいる。
Doubts are growing among the countries involved over continued deployment of their troops in Afghanistan. Britain and Germany have proposed an international conference to restore law and order in Afghanistan.
各国で駐留継続への疑問が高まり、英独両国は治安回復に向けた国際会議を提唱した。
There are also growing concerns both within and outside the United States that Afghanistan will become a replay of the Vietnam War, in which repeated troop increases failed to settle the situation and ended in a disgraceful withdrawal.
部隊増派を繰り返しても結局解決できず、不名誉な撤退を強いられる。そんな「第二のベトナム化」の懸念さえ米国の内外で語られ始めている。
Rebuilding Afghanistan is one of the most intractable challenges confronting the world today. One thing, however, is clear. There is no way to defeat Muslim extremism without expanding dialogue with the world's Islamic communities.
アフガニスタンをどう再建するか。いま世界が直面するもっとも難しい課題の一つだ。しかし、はっきりしていることがある。イスラム社会との対話を深めることなしに、イスラム過激主義にうち勝つ道は見いだせないということである。
EDITORIAL: 8 years after 9/11 attacks
９・１１から８年―「テロとの戦い」を超えて
We still remember well the stiffened face of U.S. President George W. Bush that appeared on TV after the surprise terrorist attacks.
画面に映し出されたブッシュ米大統領の張り詰めた表情を思い出す。
On Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked passenger jets slammed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, killing more than 3,000 people.
８年前の９月１１日、ハイジャックされた旅客機がニューヨークの世界貿易センターや首都の国防総省に突っ込み、３千人以上が犠牲になった。
In a televised speech, Bush called the terror attacks "an act of war" and pledged retaliation against the perpetrators, declaring war against international terrorism.
テレビを通じて「これは戦争行為だ」と語ったブッシュ氏は犯人への報復を誓い、国際テロに対する「戦争」を宣言した。
"Bush's war," which started with the U.S.-led attacks on Afghanistan, eventually led to the invasion of Iraq. The death toll among U.S. soldiers in the Iraq war alone has surpassed the number of victims in the Sept. 11 attacks. And a far larger number of Iraqi civilians have died in the conflict.
アフガン攻撃で始まった「ブッシュ氏の戦争」はイラク攻撃につながっていく。イラクだけで９・１１テロの犠牲者数を超える米軍兵士が命を落とした。それをはるかに上回るイラクの民間人が犠牲になった。
This year, Bush, who kept claiming that the war against terrorism was justified, left the White House and President Barack Obama took office. A key slogan of the new administration is reconciliation with Islam.
そして今年、「対テロ戦争」の正義を訴え続けたブッシュ氏に代わって、オバマ大統領が登場した。新政権のキーワードは「イスラムとの和解」である。
Bush's war against terrorism has been replaced by a confrontation with violent extremism.
「対テロ戦争」は「暴力的過激主義との対決」にとって代わられた。
The policy change is based on the lessons learned from eight years of appalling destruction, huge casualty numbers, deep sorrow and profound anger. The U.S. government has shifted from the previous policy of dividing the world simply into the terrorist camp and the rest and battering all the forces it regards as terrorists with overwhelming military power.
８年間に及ぶすさまじい破壊と犠牲、悲しみと怒り。その教訓に立っての変化である。相手を「テロリストか否か」で単純に二分し、「テロリスト」とみなせば圧倒的な軍事力でたたくという路線からの転換だ。
The new U.S. strategy for terrorism involves tackling the factors that breed support for the extremists, such as undemocratic politics, injustice, poverty and economic stagnation. It also seeks to use dialogue to build relations of mutual trust with people from different cultural and religious backgrounds.
非民主的な政治や不正義、貧困、経済の停滞といった、過激派への支持を生んでいる土壌に切り込む。文化や宗教の異なる人々とも対話を通じて信頼を築いていく。そんな新しい戦略が読み取れる。
The world has welcomed this new direction.
この方向性を世界は歓迎した。
Meanwhile in Japan, the long-governing Liberal Democratic Party, which solidly supported Bush's war against terrorism, will be replaced by the Democratic Party of Japan, which opposed the Iraq war. It is clearly time for Japan to start pursuing more voluntary efforts in diplomacy and international aid that are different from those of the LDP-led government.
日本でも、ブッシュ流の対テロ戦争支持の自民党から、イラク戦争に反対した民主党に政権が交代する。自民党時代とは違う、日本の主体的な外交や支援の取り組みを構築すべき時である。
It is, however, by no means easy to end a war once it has started. President Obama, who has pledged to seek more international dialogue in grappling with the challenge, is now facing this grim truth. In particular, Obama has sent additional troops to Afghanistan to beef up the U.S. combat force for what he sees as a necessary war. But the situation in Afghanistan appears to be deteriorating steadily.
だが、いったん始めた戦争は簡単に終わらせられない。対話を掲げるオバマ大統領が直面するのは、この冷厳な現実だ。とりわけアフガンにはオバマ氏自身が、必要な戦争として米軍の増派を進めている。しかし、状況は悪化の一途をたどっているように見える。
The Taliban, the Islamist militia that was driven from power, has re-established its presence in many parts of Afghanistan. The current Afghan government's ability to rule the nation has long been in serious doubt. Casualties are also mounting among the mainly European troops of the international force operating in Afghanistan on a peacekeeping mission. Many civilians have been killed by a series of mistaken bombings by coalition forces.
政権を追われたタリバーンが勢力を盛り返した。現地政権の統治能力にはもともと疑問符がつく。欧州諸国などが派遣する国際部隊にも犠牲者が急増している。相次ぐ誤爆で多くの民間人が犠牲になってもいる。
Doubts are growing among the countries involved over continued deployment of their troops in Afghanistan. Britain and Germany have proposed an international conference to restore law and order in Afghanistan.
各国で駐留継続への疑問が高まり、英独両国は治安回復に向けた国際会議を提唱した。
There are also growing concerns both within and outside the United States that Afghanistan will become a replay of the Vietnam War, in which repeated troop increases failed to settle the situation and ended in a disgraceful withdrawal.
部隊増派を繰り返しても結局解決できず、不名誉な撤退を強いられる。そんな「第二のベトナム化」の懸念さえ米国の内外で語られ始めている。
Rebuilding Afghanistan is one of the most intractable challenges confronting the world today. One thing, however, is clear. There is no way to defeat Muslim extremism without expanding dialogue with the world's Islamic communities.
アフガニスタンをどう再建するか。いま世界が直面するもっとも難しい課題の一つだ。しかし、はっきりしていることがある。イスラム社会との対話を深めることなしに、イスラム過激主義にうち勝つ道は見いだせないということである。
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