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Very few Americans—or, for that matter, very few people on the planet—can remember a time when freedom of the seas was in question. [qh]
谈到此事，很少有美国人，或者说，很少有地球人——会记得公海自由航行权受到质疑的时代。[qh]
But for most of human history, there was no such guarantee.[qh]
但在人类历史的大部分时间里，都无法保证在公海自由航行。[qh]
Pirates, predatory states, and the fleets of great powers did as they pleased. [qh]
海盗、掠夺成性的国家以及列强的舰队随心所欲、为所欲为。[qh]
The current reality, which dates only to the end of World War II, makes possible the commercial shipping that handles more than 80 percent of all global trade by volume—oil and natural gas, grain and raw ores, manufactured goods of every kind. [qh]
目前的现实只能追溯至第二次世界大战结束时，这使得处理全球贸易总量(石油与天然气、谷物与原材料，以及各种制成品)80%以上的商业航运成为可能。[qh]
Because freedom of the seas, in our lifetime, has seemed like a default condition, it is easy to think of it—if we think of it at all—as akin to Earth’s rotation or the force of gravity: as just the way things are, rather than as a man-made construct that needs to be maintained and enforced.[qh]
因为在我们的有生之年，公海自由航行权似乎是默认状态，所以很容易把它想象成——如果我们把它想象成——类似于地球的自转或重力:事物就是这样运转，而不是需要维护和执行的人造结构。[qh]
But what if the safe transit of ships could no longer be assumed? What if the oceans were no longer free?[qh]
但是，如果不能再保证船舶的安全过境呢? 如果公海不再是可以自由航行的呢?[qh]
Every now and again, Americans are suddenly reminded of how much they depend on the uninterrupted movement of ships around the world for their lifestyle, their livelihood, even their life. [qh]
每隔一段时间，美国人就会突然意识到，他们的生活、生计甚至生命是多么依赖于世界各地不间断的航运。[qh]
In 2021, the grounding of the container ship Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal, forcing vessels shuttling between Asia and Europe to divert around Africa, delaying their passage and driving up costs. [qh]
2021年，集装箱船“长赐”号搁浅，阻断了苏伊士运河，迫使频频往返于亚洲和欧洲之间的船舶绕道非洲，从而延误了通行时间，推高了成本。[qh]
A few months later, largely because of disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, more than 100 container ships were stacked up outside the California Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, snarling supply chains throughout the country.[qh]
数月后，主要因为新冠疫情造成了中断，100多艘集装箱船堆放在加州的长滩港和洛杉矶港口外，扰乱了全国各地的供应链。[qh]
These events were temporary, if expensive. [qh]
这些事件虽代价高昂，但都只是暂时。[qh]
Imagine, though, a more permanent breakdown. [qh]
不过，想象一下，更持久的瘫痪。[qh]
Russia could declare a large portion of the Arctic Ocean to be its own territorial waters, twisting the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to support its claim. [qh]
俄罗斯宣布北冰洋的大块地区是自己的领海，扭曲《联合国海洋法公约》来支持自己的主张。[qh]
Russia would then allow its allies access to this route while denying it to those who dared to oppose its wishes.[qh]
随后，俄罗斯允许其盟友使用这条路线，而俄罗斯拒绝对那些敢反对自己意愿的国家使用这条路线。[qh]
Neither the U.S. Navy, which has not built an Arctic-rated surface warship since the 1950s, nor any other NATO nation is currently equipped to resist such a gambit.[qh]
无论是美国海军(自20世纪50年代以来就没有建造过北极水面战舰)，还是其他任何北约国家，目前都没有能力抵制这种抢占先机的策略。[qh]
