The US, for its part, did not abandon authoritarian allies such as Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak and Tunisia’s Zine el Abidine Ben Ali immediately. Had they been swifter and more effective in repressing the mass protests, they might still be in power today – with America’s blessing.
至于美国，它从未立刻抛弃过埃及的穆巴拉克和突尼斯的本·阿里这样的独裁盟友。要是他们在镇压群众游行方面行动更迅速、效率更高，他们也许现在还在台上掌权——有美国在背后挺着他们呢。美国抛弃他们，并不是因为他们是独裁者，而是因为他们是无能的独裁者。