From the Falklands to the Gulf

　　Apr 4

　　The week that saw British servicemen humiliated by a former client state was also, as it happened, the one when Britain was marking the 25th anniversary of the Falklands war.

　　For Tony Blair, Britain's prime minister, the symmetry is uncomfortable. It contrasts Mrs Thatcher's conduct of the war in the Falklands with his own difficulties, in Iraq in particular. Worse, for a man who believes in his ability to persuade, Mr Blair is out of touch with his people. In a YouGov survey for the Daily Telegraph this week, 61% of respondents said Britain was right to retake the Falklands, while 72% think the country should hesitate to get involved in conflicts that do not concern it. The British people want out—most clearly from Iraq, but also now from Afghanistan.

　　Based on a 1998 Strategic Defence Review, Britain is spending £14 billion ($28 billion) to improve its ability to conduct expeditionary operations far from home. Under Mr Blair, however, the armed forces are far more active than they planned to be.

　　Today, Britain—with an economy that has grown without recession for 15 years—has the money to buy military hardware. It also has a prime minister given to bold idealism. But a missing link has been highlighted by the past week's events in Iran. Without thoughtfulness and attention to detail (especially the detail that can be provided by good intelligence), all the military hardware in the world is insufficient to protect a state against others that bear old grudges against it.

　　从福克兰群岛到波斯湾

　　本周英国军人受到了一个前受保护国的羞辱。而此时正值英国发动福克兰群岛(阿根廷称马尔维纳斯群岛)战争25周年之际。

　　对英国首相托尼·布莱尔来说，把撒切尔夫人在福克兰群岛战争的表现和他面临的困难，特别是在伊拉克的困难相比是令人不快的。更糟糕的是，布莱尔先生相信他的说服力，但是他却脱离人民。根据YOUGOV本周为“每日电讯”所做的一项民调：61%的受访者说，英国夺回福克兰群岛是对的；而72%的人认为，政府介入跟他们国家无关的冲突有欠考虑。英国人民希望撤军，特别是从伊拉克撤军，也希望从阿富汗撤军。

　　根据1998年的“战略防御回顾”，英国花费140亿英镑(280亿美元)来改善远离本土的远征作战能力。在布莱尔先生的领导下，武装力量的活动比计划的要强得多。

　　随着持续15年没有衰退的经济增长，今日的英国有钱购买军事上的硬件。英国现在还有一位大胆的理想主义的首相。但是，上周发生的伊朗事件突显了脱节的危害。如果考虑不周和不注意细节(特别是当细节可以通过情报而得到的情况下)，世界上所有的军事硬件都不足以使一个国家抵御它的宿敌。