在华盛顿摸不着门路的外交官们
这里是全球政策之都，因政治而兴衰，以人脉关系网为荣。但在美国总统唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)入主椭圆形办公室(Oval Office)近5个月后，各国外交官们仍在争抢华盛顿特区的“主要商品”——门路。
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.
在外国使团想方设法弄清楚这位新总统及其政府的政策时，所谓的“华盛顿耳语廊”正在将鸡尾酒谈话转换成走廊发泄。
“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.
“有详情介绍吗?”一名驻华盛顿的大使问道，他惊惶地发现自己已被落在关于特朗普一项政策转变的情报圈子之外。
Elsewhere, another diplomat shakes his head, unsure to whom he should direct his questions: “State department is a mere skeleton.”
在另外一个地方，另一名外交官摇了摇头，他不知道应去问谁：“国务院只是个空架子。”
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对国务院和五角大楼(Pentagon)的几十项高级任命，暴露出的人事空缺加深了外界对本届美国政府缺乏明确方向的看法。
“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.
“现在的政策是个黑箱，没人知道是怎样操作的，”一名现任国务院官员表示。他还说，一些官员感觉自己受到了排挤，或者几乎无事可做。
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.”
乔治华盛顿大学(George Washington University)政治史学者马修•达莱克(Matthew Dallek)表示，此类担忧使美国政府一些传统外交活动中心的影响力大不如前。“外交官很难知道他们从国务院得到的信息是否可靠，而这实际上正是白宫要做的。”
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.
在这片混乱局面中，处于核心位置的是特朗普，他在上台头几个月里可能并未像在竞选演讲中承诺的那样“排干沼泽”(drain the swamp，原指排干沼泽里的水，以消灭传播疟疾的蚊子。这里用来比喻赶走害人虫，根除腐败的特权阶级的影响——译者注)，但他无疑已经将整个水塘彻底搅翻。
“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.”
“特朗普如此反复无常且不受任何核心承诺或理念的约束，以至于在外界看来，他相当不靠谱，”达莱克说，“这给美国传统的治国和外交方略蒙上了一层阴影，而且使外交官们在开展工作时多了很多困惑。”
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.
特朗普批评美国的盟友，同时拉拢美国的敌人，致使内阁高级成员不得不向惊慌失措的盟友——从北约(Nato)到韩国——保证，特朗普实际上是信任联盟的。
“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.”
“总统与我本人或国务院之间在政策方面没有分歧，”美国国务卿雷克斯•蒂勒森(Rex Tillerson)上周表示，试图驳斥外界广泛抱有的一种印象，即在中东多国与卡塔尔断交后，他俩在如何处理与卡塔尔的关系上产生矛盾。“在总统选择如何表述这一政策内容方面存在差异。”
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.
特朗普的各种表述早已成为研究的焦点，外国官员尝试判断如何才能最好地与特朗普及美国打造良好关系。
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、海湖庄园(Mar-a-Lago)俱乐部成员克里斯•拉迪(Chris Ruddy)说，许多大使都曾来找他询问与特朗普打交道的建议。
“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.
“我给他们的答复都一样：总统极为关注给美国带来就业的事情。他希望重振美国经济，且认为美国在贸易协议及其他安排方面受到了不公平待遇，”传媒机构Newsmax Media的负责人拉迪说。
“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，如果有来自他们国家的公司在美国投资、开办企业并创造就业，尤其是在那些遭受全球化严重冲击的“锈带”州，他们就能极大地取悦总统。日本、中国甚至沙特阿拉伯等国家，显然已经明白了这一点。”
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.
日本人尤其有针对性地突出了他们在美国创造的就业，他们现在正为本国首相与特朗普面对面会谈时间比其他任何全球领导人都长而感到高兴。
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.
有些国家已经与特朗普的女婿贾里德•库什纳(Jared Kushner)或女儿伊万卡•特朗普(Ivanka Trump)——两人都为白宫高官——建立了热线电话联系，以此作为接近特朗普总统的一种方式。有的国家转向恭维，对这位前电视真人秀明星大加溢美之辞。
The British have learnt to focus on his actions and not his words, observers say.
观察人士称，英国人已学会关注其行动，而非言辞。
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.
对于那些仍不确定自身立场的国家而言，外交官们会通过梳理小的细节寻找关于美国政策走向的线索，从握手之类的寻常事中来预判本国与这个超级大国未来的关系。
"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.”
“他用实际地占据空间的方式，比其他任何一位世界领导人都更加情绪外露——作为一名外交官，假如你有机会与他会面的话，你必须将这一因素考虑进去，”一位前美国国务院高官说，“特朗普在这点上毫不避讳，无论在Twitter上，还是在随口的评论中，或者当他与你握手时——他希望在所做的每件事上都占据上风。”
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.
虽然许多外交官抱怨不知道在华盛顿该与谁对话，但有些已经急忙称赞起特朗普任命的高级官员。外交官们引述了关于国防部长吉姆•马蒂斯(Jim Mattis)与蒂勒森密切协作、经常碰面交谈的报道。他们夸赞国家安全顾问赫伯特•雷蒙德•麦克马斯特(HR McMaster)的出身和经验。
“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.”
“不管总统是谁，本届政府就像一个外交政策梦之队，”另一位驻华盛顿大使表示，理由是国务院、国防部、国家安全委员会、财政部及商务部的领导官员有着高超能力。“特朗普(比上届政府)更善于放权，他建立的机制正在发挥作用。”
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.
上述前国务院高官表示，特朗普将部分外交政策问题分派给国务院以外的人——例如让库什纳在中东政策上发挥作用——的决定，与以往的政府相比也不算出格，往届政府有时会将诸如古巴、巴以冲突等各类不同问题交给白宫处理。
Additional reporting by Demetri Sevastopulo in Washington
迪米(Demetri Sevastopulo)华盛顿补充报道
Twitter: @KatrinaManson
译者/申凯
