「经济学人」Gyros and gunboats陀螺仪和炮艇

「经济学人」Gyros and gunboats

Gyros and gunboats陀螺仪和炮艇

Might Turkey seize a tiny Greek island?Kastellorizo could be a flashpoint

强大的土耳其会占领希腊弹丸之岛吗？卡利姆诺斯岛（Kastellorizo）可能会成为导火索。

Kastellorizo, a small Greek island in the Mediterranean, home to only a few hundred people, does not look like a flashpoint. Dozens of pastel-coloured houses rise from the shores of its main bay. Locals exchange greetings with tourists and daytrippers arriving by ferry from Turkey. A large sea turtle pokes its head out of the turquoise waters nearby.

1.卡利姆诺斯是希腊位于地中海上的一座小岛，岛上仅有区区数百居民。这里看着不像是抵触爆发地。岛上最大海区有有数十间房屋，房屋颜色温和。岛民与游客每天从土耳其乘船上岛的旅游者们互致问候。左近海面如翡翠普通碧绿，庞大的海龟从水面探出头来。

But not all is well. A Greek warship, the hs Daniolos, patrols the waters around the island. A couple of army trucks watch over the harbour. A few troops trickle out of a cruise ship, which has come from Athens. Kastellorizo has recently taken centre stage in a dispute between Greece, to which the island belongs, and Turkey. Greece says Kastellorizo enjoys a continental shelf area, or Exclusive Economic Zone, of 200 nautical miles, in line with the un Convention on the Law of the Sea. Turkey says Kastellorizo is too small and far from the Greek mainland to be entitled to an eez. The Greek claim locks Turkey out of the Mediterranean, Turkey complains.

2. 但是，并非一切尽好。希腊军舰，hs Daniolos号在小岛水面巡查。几辆军车中止港口巡视。巡洋舰从雅典开来，舰上下来几股部队。小岛属于希腊领土，而最近，小岛成为希腊和土耳其两国的争端焦点。希腊宣称依据分离国海洋条约，卡利姆诺斯享有大陆架海权，200海里的专属经济区。土耳其则表示卡利姆诺斯面积狭小，却远离享有专属经济区权益的希腊本土。土耳其称，希腊主张将土耳其封锁在地中海区域之外。

Turkey challenges Greece’s sovereignty over Kastellorizo and a number of other islands. Last month its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said Turkish ballistic missiles could strike Athens. “We may suddenly come one night,” he had warned a couple months earlier, suggesting an invasion. Turkey’s shores are within swimming distance of Kastellorizo. The nearest Greek island, Rhodes, is 120km away.

3. 土耳其应战了希腊卡利姆诺斯及其他数个小岛对行使的主权。上个月，土耳其总统（Recep Tayyip Erdogan）要挟土耳其弹道导弹可能打到雅典。“一夜之间，我们可能发起突袭。” 在几个月前，他发出正告，倡议占领该岛。土耳其海岸距离卡利姆诺斯距离很近，能够游过去。最近的希腊罗德岛只需120公里。

A number of things militate against the risk of armed confrontation between Turkey and Greece. One is the fact that both are members of nato. The other is that war would crush each country’s tourism sector. But the risk is there, also because Mr Erdogan’s government has developed a taste for using force in pursuit of its interests, especially in Syria.

4. 许多条件有助于缓和土耳其和希腊之间军事对峙。首先，事实上两国都属于北约成员。其次，战争会破坏两国的旅游业。但是，仍存在风险，由于土耳其总统埃尔多安政府洗砦笏用武力攫取利益，特别是在叙利亚战场。

Turkey accuses the Greeks of militarising the islands, contrary to international treaties. Last year, Turkish media outlets published images, captured by drones, showing deliveries of armoured vehicles to some of the islands. Greece does not deny sending new troops, but says it is doing so only for defensive purposes. With elections scheduled in both Greece and Turkey this year, nationalists on both sides may be tempted to rattle their sabres. The locals on Kastellorizo, as well as the visiting Turks, are trying to tune out the noise. “It’s only theatre,” says a waiter. nato leaders should hope he is right.

5. 土耳其责备希腊试图军事化诸岛，有悖于国际条约。去年，土耳其媒体发布无人机拍摄的图片，显现希腊向小岛派遣武装车辆。希腊并不承认派遣新的武装部队上岛，但表示此举仅出于防卫目的。希腊和土耳其今年都将举行选举的背景下，两国各自的民主主义分子可能希望动武。卡利姆诺斯岛当地居民以及等到的土耳其人都希望弱化这种喧嚣。“这只是在做戏。”一个效劳员说。北约指导人应该希望他说的是真的。

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "Gyros and gunboats" (Jan 12th 2023)

词汇：

flashpoint 一触即发，危机行将爆发的地点

nautical 航海的；海员的；船舶的

militate against 障碍

treaty 条约