西蒙·塞巴格-蒙蒂菲奥里是一位历史学家，也是《坩埚：现代中东的诞生》一书的作者。
Simon Sebag-Montefiore is a historian and author of “The Cauldron: the Making of the Modern Middle East.”IF ONE STEPS BACK from the spasms of violence in the Middle East, it’s clear that every day brings another revelation in a cascade of developments—momentous deals and alliances that not only mark a new epoch, but drive a dramatic convergence of geopolitical theaters that is changing the world game.
如果从对中东暴力动荡的近距离观察中抽身退后，便会发现每一天都伴随着一系列发展中的新发现——那些不仅标志着新时代开启，更推动地缘政治舞台发生戏剧性汇聚、从而改变世界格局的重大交易与联盟。
Consider just some of the events of recent months:
仅回顾近几个月的一些事件：在阿联酋宣布从迪拜飞往特拉维夫的航班遭遇恐怖袭击的几天前，阿联酋总统穆罕默德·本·扎耶德首次公开承认以色列总理本雅明·内塔尼亚胡曾到访——这发生在他数月后部署“铁穹”技术和以色列人员前往阿联酋以抵御伊朗袭击之后。《亚伯拉罕协议》依然充满生机。
Days before what the Emiratis have declared a terrorist attack on a flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, the United Arab Emirates’ president Mohamed bin Zayed publicly acknowledged for the first time a visit by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu—months after deploying Iron Dome technology and Israeli personnel to the U.A.E. to repel Iranian attacks. The Abraham Accords are still very much alive.