PARIS – The Japanese and the British may seem very different, but a closer look reveals something akin to a parallel destiny for these two island peoples. With their old imperial ambitions and widespread distaste for the great continents from which the narrowest of seas divide them, both the British and the Japanese are vulnerable to the siren song of isolationism.
巴黎—日本人和英国人也许很不相同，但仔细观察就会发现，这两个岛国的命运颇有些相似之处。它们都曾经有过帝国雄心，都对隔海相望的古老大陆怀着深刻的厌恶，都对孤立主义的塞壬之歌毫无抵抗力。不幸的是，如今，两国再一次屈服于孤立主义的危险诱惑。