But such dreams always hit a formidable obstacle: national rivalries that date back decades – in some cases centuries – and that repeatedly keep mutually profitable energy-integration agreements from being signed. Or, if they are signed, they are often broken when compelling short-term considerations intervene.
但这一梦想总是遇到可怕的障碍：几十年——有的时候是几百年——之久的民族对立一再将可以创造共同利润的能源一体化协议拒之门外。即使签署了协议，也常常因为强制性短期考虑因素而被破坏。