Of course, progress towards more democracy and morality in international public affairs remains extremely slow. Yet the year 2004 may leave to history some of the greatest progress in this area that humanity has seen.
当然，国际公共事务在民主和道德方向上的进展仍然十分缓慢。但2004年可能会在历史上书写一笔人类至今在这方面最大的进步。