查看: 265|回复: 5

《纽约时报》专栏：更大的斗争

0 主题	0 好友	6万积分

仲裁者

安全第一，不显示签名

发消息

电梯直达

1楼

发表于 2010-6-15 19:23 |只看该作者 |倒序浏览

原作者：
来源Op-Ed Columnist - The Larger Struggle - NYTimescom
译者sailorpj

The Larger Struggle

更大的斗争

These days we are transfixed by the struggle between BP and the U.S. government. This is a familiar conflict — between a multinational company trying to make a profit and the government trying to regulate the company and hold it accountable.

这些天我们的注意力集中在了英国石油公司和美国炡椨之间的斗争。这是一次熟悉的冲突——发生在试图盈利的跨国公司和试图监管该公司并使其负责的炡椨之间。

But this conflict is really a family squabble. It takes place amid a much larger conflict, and in this larger conflict both BP and the U.S. government are on the same team.

但是这次冲突实际上是一场家庭争吵。它发生在更大的冲突中，而在这场更大的冲突中英国石油公司和美国炡椨属于同一队。

The larger conflict began with the end of the cold war. That ideological dispute settled the argument over whether capitalism was the best economic system. But it did not settle the argument over whether democratic capitalism was the best political-social-economic system. Instead, it left the world divided into two general camps.

这场更大的冲突冷战一结束就开始了。那场意识形态的争论解决了资本主义是否是最好经济体制的问题。但是它并没有解决民主资本主义是否是最好的政治、社会和经济体制的问题。相反，它导致世界分成了两大阵营。

On the one side are those who believe in democratic capitalism — ranging from the United States to Denmark to Japan. People in this camp generally believe that businesses are there to create wealth and raise living standards while governments are there to regulate when necessary and enforce a level playing field. Both government officials like President Obama and the private sector workers like the BP executives fall neatly into this camp.

一边是那些信奉民主资本主义的國镓——美国、丹麦和日本等。这个阵营的人们一般认为，企业是为了创造财富和提高生活质量，而炡椨是在必要的时候出手监管和营造一个公平竞争的环境。像奥巴马总统等炡椨官员和英国石油公司的行政人员等私营部门的员工都属于这个阵营。

On the other side are those that reject democratic capitalism, believing it leads to chaos, bubbles, exploitations and crashes. Instead, they embrace state capitalism. People in this camp run Russia, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Venezuela and many other countries.

另一边是那些抵制民主资本主义的國镓。它们认为民主资本主义会导致混乱、泡沫、剥削和崩溃。相反，它们欣然接受國镓资本主义。俄罗斯、中国、沙特阿拉伯、伊朗、委内瑞拉以及其他许多國镓的人们属于这个阵营。

Many scholars have begun to analyze state capitalism. One of the clearest and most comprehensive treatments is “The End of the Free Market” by Ian Bremmer.

很多学者已经开始分析國镓资本主义。其中最清楚、最全面的诊断当属伊恩·布雷默著的《自由市场的终结》。

Bremmer points out that under state capitalism, authoritarian governments use markets “to create wealth that can be directed as political officials see fit.” The ultimate motive, he continues, “is not economic (maximizing growth) but political (maximizing the state’s power and the leadership’s chances of survival).” Under state capitalism, market enterprises exist to earn money to finance the ruling class.

布雷默指出，在國镓资本主义制度下，执政的炡椨利用市场“在政治官员认为合适的地方创造财富”。他还指出，最终目的不是“经济（最大化的增长）而是政治（最大化的國镓力量和领导力的生存机率）”。在國镓资本主义体制下，市场企业获取资金为统治阶级提供资金。

The contrast is clearest in the energy sector. In the democratic capitalist world we have oil companies, like Exxon Mobil, BP and Royal Dutch Shell, that make money for shareholders.

能源部门的对比最清楚。在民主资本主义世界，我们有为股东谋利的埃克森美孚、英国石油公司和皇家荷兰壳牌石油公司等石油公司。

In the state capitalist world there are government-run enterprises like Gazprom, Petrobras Saudi Aramco, Petronas, Petróleos de Venezuela, China National Petroleum Corporation and the National Iranian Oil Company. These companies create wealth for the political cliques, and they, in turn, have the power of the state behind them.

在國镓资本主义的世界，有俄罗斯天然气公司、巴西石油公司、沙特阿美公司、马来西亚石油公司、委内瑞拉國镓石油公司、中国石油天然气总公司和伊朗國镓石油公司等国有企业。这些公司为政治集团创造的财富，反过来，他们有國镓做其后盾。

With this advantage, state energy companies have been absolutely crushing the private-sector energy companies. In America, we use the phrase Big Oil to describe Exxon Mobil, BP, Royal Dutch Shell and others. But that just shows how parochial we are. In fact, none of these private companies make it on a list of the world’s top 13 energy companies. A generation ago, the biggest multinationals produced well more than half of the world’s oil and gas. But now, according to Bremmer, they produce just 10 percent of the world’s oil and gas and hold only about 3 percent of the world’s reserves.

具有这种优势的国有能源公司一直在镇压私营的能源公司。在美国，我们用“石油巨头”形容埃克森美孚、英国石油和皇家荷兰壳牌石油公司。但是恰恰是这一点显示出我们是多么的心胸狭隘。实际上，这些私营公司没有一家在全球13大能源公司的名单中榜上有名。一代之前，最大的跨国公司生产的石油和天然气大大超过世界石油和天然气产出的总量。但是  现在，布雷默称，它们仅仅生产了世界10%的石油和天然气，拥有的世界石油和天然气储备只不过3%左右

The rivalry between democratic capitalism and state capitalism is not like the rivalry between capitalism and communism. It is an interdependent rivalry. State capitalist enterprises invest heavily in democratic capitalist enterprises (but they tend not to invest in each other). Both sides rely on each other in interlocking trade networks.

民主资本主义和國镓资本主义之间的较量与资本主义和共产主义之间的较量不同。它是一种相互依赖的较量。國镓资本主义企业大量投资民主资本主义企业（但它们并不倾向于互相投资）。双方在连锁贸易网中相互依赖。

Nonetheless, there is rivalry. There is a rivalry over prestige. What system works better to produce security and growth? What system should emerging and struggling democratic nations aim for? There is also rivalry over what rules should govern the world order. Should countries like Russia be able to withhold gas from Western Europe to make a political point? Should governments be able to tilt the playing field to benefit well-connected national champions? Should authoritarian governments like Iran be allowed to nuclearize?

  然而，也有较量。在名誉方面有较量。什么制度更能获得安全，更快增长？崭露头角和举步维艰的民主國镓应该追求什么制度？在什么法规管理世界秩序方面也有较量。为了在政治上得势，俄罗斯等國镓不应该向西欧提供天然气吗？为了让关系良好的國镓拥护者受益，炡椨的天平应该有所倾斜吗？伊朗等专制國镓应该被允许拥有核武器吗？

We in the democratic world tend to assume state capitalism can’t prosper forever. Innovative companies can’t thrive unless there’s also a free exchange of ideas. A high-tech economy requires more creative destruction than an authoritarian government can tolerate. Cronyism will inevitably undermine efficiency.

  生活在民主世界的人们倾向于认为國镓资本主义无法永远繁荣。创新公司无法繁荣除非还有自由交流的思想。与专制炡椨能够忍受的创新破坏力相比，一个高科技经济体需要更大的创新破坏力。任人唯亲将不可避免地破坏效率。

That’s all true. But state capitalism may be the only viable system in low-trust societies, in places where decentralized power devolves into gangsterism. Moreover, democratic regimes have shown their vulnerabilities of late: a tendency to make unaffordable promises to the elderly and other politically powerful groups; a tendency toward polarization, which immobilizes governments even in the face of devastating problems.

这些都是事实。但是國镓资本主义或许是信任低下的社会唯一可行的制度，在这些地方分散的力量会转变为强盗主义。此外，最近表明民主制度不堪一击：倾向于给老年人和其他强大的政治集团作出无法兑现的承诺，倾向于走极端致使炡椨在灾难性的问题面前也束手无策。

We in the democratic world have no right to be sanguine. State capitalism taps into deep nationalist passions and offers psychic security for people who detest the hurly-burly of modern capitalism. So I hope that as they squabble, Obama and BP keep at least one eye on the larger picture.

我们所处的民主世界不容乐观。國镓资本主义发掘深层的民族主义情绪并为厌恶骚乱的现代资本主义的人们提供了精神家园。因此我希望即便他们争吵，奥巴马和英国石油公司至少对大局有所关注。

We need healthy private energy companies. We also need to gradually move away from oil and gas — the products that have financed the rise of aggressive state capitalism.

我们需要健康的私营能源公司。我们还需要逐渐远离石油和天然气——这些产品为一些好挑衅的國镓资本主义國镓的崛起提供了资金。