The modern United States is the most powerful country in human history.
现代美国是人类历史上最为强大的国家
With over 800 military bases and 37% of global military spending,
美国拥有800多个军事基地，其军费开支占全球军费开支的37%
the United States has become the leader of a vast interconnected global system
由此，美国已然成了这个由各个国家相互交织成的巨大网络的领头羊
that has helped usher in an era of unprecedented prosperity and low levels of conflict.
由她带领着各国走向前所未有的繁荣，同时把冲突维持在较低水平
To understand America’s position in the world,
要了解美国的国际地位
and why it’s so pivotal for world politics as we know it,
以及美国何以能够，如我们所知的那样，带动国际政治
you have to go back to the country’s founding —
就必须回到这个国家成立之初
back to when America wasn’t a global power in any sense of the word.
回到美国远非任何意义上的大国的时代
During the first 70 years of its existence,
建国后的70年里
the United States expanded in both territory and influence in North America
美国不断扩大其在北美的版图及影响力
eventually reaching the Pacific Ocean
最终抵达太平洋
in a wave of expansionism that resulted in the wholesale slaughter of the indigenous people who populated the continent.
并在领土扩张的热潮中，大规模屠杀了彼时居住在那片领土上的印第安人
But early Americans were deeply divided
然而，早期，美国人
as to whether the country should expand beyond the Pacific and Atlantic oceans.
在是否应该把领土扩张到太平洋和大西洋以外的地区这一问题上，存在着很大的分歧
This became a major debate after the civil war,
这一问题也成了内战结束后美国的一个主要问题
when some leaders, like post-war Secretary of State Seward,
战后上任的国务卿苏厄德等领导人
argued that America should push to become a global power.
认为美国应该扩张成一个世界大国
Seward succeeded in pushing a plan to purchase Alaska from Russia,
苏厄德成功推出了从沙皇俄国手中购买阿拉斯加的方案
but his attempts to buy Greenland and Iceland, as well as annex territory in the Caribbean,
但他企图购买格陵兰岛、冰岛，以及在加勒比海兼并的一块土地的计划
were all blocked by Congress.
都被国会驳回了
That’s because some Americans, including many on Capitol Hill, had a strong anti-imperialist bent.
因为包括许多国会议员在内的一些美国人有着强烈的反帝国主义情绪
These people worried about America getting more involved in global politics,
这些人担心美国会过度参与世界政治
as well as having to integrate populations from “inferior” races.
担心美国为此不得不吸纳低等民族的人群
And this opposition applied major checks on the imperialist urge to expand.
这种反对曾在遏止美国帝国主义扩张情绪上一再发挥主要作用
But something was happening in the late 1800s
然而，19世纪晚期发生了一次事件，
that would change the debate about American expansionism.
而这次事件即将改变美国要不要扩张这一争论局势件
The industrial revolution produced explosive economic growth,
工业革命带来了爆炸式的经济增长
and the bigger US economy required a more centralized state and bureaucracy
经济增长后，美国需要一个中央集权政府
to manage the growing economy.
来管理其不断增长的经济
Power became concentrated in the federal government,
联邦政府的权利由此变得更加集中
making it easier for expansionist presidents, like William Mckinley,
这就使得威廉·麦金利等主张扩张的总统
to unilaterally push United States influence abroad.
能够轻而易举地把美国的影响力推往国外
The key turning point came in 1898,
就在1898年，美国出现了一个关键的转折点
when President McKinley dragged the country into war with Spain over Cuba despite intense opposition.
顶着强烈的反对意见，麦金利总统把美国推入了美西战争中

The rising US easily defeated the moribund Spanish empire,
崛起的美国不费吹灰之力就打败了穷途末路的西班牙王国
acquiring Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in the process (1898).
夺取了西班牙属地波多黎各、关岛和菲律宾（1898年）
Over the next two years, the US would annex the Kingdom of Hawaii (1898),
接下来的两年里，美国将并吞夏威夷王国（1898年）
Wake Island (1899), and American Samoa (1900).
复活岛（1899年），以及美属萨摩亚（1900年）
A few years later, the US took control of the Panama Canal Zone (1903)
几年后，美国又控制了巴拿马运河（1903年）
and sent troops to occupy the Dominican Republic (1916),
派部队占领了多米尼加共和国（1916年）
it also purchased the American Virgin Islands (1917).
还购买了美属维京岛（1917年）
This period of rapid acquisition of far flung territories put the US on the map as a truly global power.
这段迅速攫取广袤领土的时期将美国变成了地图上一个真正意义上的世界大国
During this time, America also began using its influence to protect its growing commercial and military interests abroad,
在这期间，美国还开始利用其影响力，保护其在海外不断膨胀的商业和军事利益
installing pro-American regimes in places like Nicaragua
辅佐尼加拉瓜等地的亲美派政权
and playing a major role in international diplomacy regarding the Western presence in China.
并在就西方列强在中国的地位问题展开的国际外交中发挥了主要作用
World War I showed just how much America’s influence had grown.
从一战中，我们就能看出彼时美国的影响力到了什么程度
Not only was American intervention a decisive factor in the war's end
不仅美国的介入对战争的结局起到了决定性作用
But President Wilson attended the Paris Peace Conference
而且，美国总统威尔逊还参加巴黎和会
which ended the war and attempted to set the terms of the peace.
而正是这次会议促进了战争的结束以及和平条约的订立
He spearheaded America’s most ambitious foreign policy initiative yet,
他还率先提出了彼时美国最富雄心壮志的外交政策：
an international organization, called the League of Nations,
即创建一个致力于促进国际和平及合作的
designed to promote peace and cooperation globally.
国际组织：“国际联盟”
The League, a wholesale effort to remake global politics,
号召大家共同努力，重塑国际政治局面的“国际联盟”
showed just how ambitious American foreign policy had become.
展示了当时美国的外交政策有着怎样的野心
Yet isolationism was still a major force in the United States.
然而，置身事外仍旧是美国的主要立场
Congress blocked the United States from joining the League of Nations,
国会阻止美国加入“国际联盟”
dooming Wilson’s project.
摧毁了威尔逊的计划
During the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler,
大萧条和希特勒崛起时期，
the US was much more focused on its own region than on European affairs
比起欧洲的局面，美国更关心国内的问题
Ultimately, America’s ever-growing entanglements abroad made it impossible for it to stay out of global affairs entirely.
最后，美国在海外不断升级的纠葛使其再无法置身世界局势之外
In East Asia, the growing Japanese empire posed a direct threat to American possessions and troops
在东亚，日益壮大的日本帝国直接威胁到了美国的领地和军队
bringing the United States and Japan into conflict.
美日一战在所难免
This culminated in the Pearl Harbor attack, bringing the United States into World War II.
两国的矛盾因日本偷袭珍珠港达到了不可调和的地步，美国由此加入二战
World War II would transform America’s global presence forever.
二战彻底改变了美国在国际社会的地位
The United States was the only major power to avoid economic ruin during the war,
二战期间，美国是唯一一个为保经济拒绝参战的大国
and it was the sole country equipped with atomic weapons.
也是唯一一个拥有原子弹武器的国家
As such, it was in unique position to set the terms of the peace —
正因如此，美国在订立和平条约上拥有独特的优势地位
and, with the aim of preventing another war in mind, it took advantage.
为了从根本上避免另一次世界大战，美国开始下下手为强
The most famous example of this is the creation of the United Nations.
最为显著的例子就是联合国的成立
The UN charter set up a system of international law prohibiting wars of conquest,
联合国的《宪章》规定了一系列禁止通过战争进行扩张的国际法
like the ones waged by the Nazis and the Japanese.
比如纳粹和日本引发的两次战争
It also served as a forum in which the international community could weigh in on disputes, and help resolve them.
联合国也成了一个可供国际社会参与讨论并解决纷争的论坛
This way, the Americans hoped,
美国希望，
great powers could resolve their differences through compromise and law rather than war.
世界大国可以这样用协商和法律而不是用战争来解决分歧