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Saudi Prince's Showcase Tarnished by a Grisly Report
可怕的控告指向沙特王子 “沙漠達沃斯”因此蒙塵
By Mark Landler and Kate Kelly
文/馬克·蘭德勒，凱特·凱利
The participants nicknamed it “Davos in the Desert,”
參與者給這次會議起了個昵稱——“沙漠達沃斯，”
which captures the lofty ambitions of the annual investor conference scheduled to convene in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this month.
這一昵稱恰好說明了本月計劃在沙特利雅得召開的年度投資者會議有著遠大的抱負。
Initially planned as an intimate gathering, it grew quickly in size and scope,
原本計劃只作親密聚會的會議規模和范圍迅速擴大，
and the inaugural meeting last year reflected the determination of its host, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to be a player on the world stage.
去年召開的首次會議便反映了其主持人穆罕默德·本·薩勒曼王子登上世界舞臺的決心。
In keeping with Muslim practice, no alcohol was served.
為了遵從穆斯林的習俗，會議期間沒有提供酒精飲料。
Waiters roamed the vast, opulent Ritz-Carlton Hotel, offering pale Saudi coffee and exotic fruit drinks.
服務員漫步在寬敞豪華的麗思卡爾頓酒店，為嘉賓們提供淡淡的沙特咖啡和充滿異域風情的果汁。
Outside the hotel, female executives kept their arms and legs covered.
在酒店外，女領導人們便將自己的雙腿和雙臂遮了起來。
But the gathering was an extravagant embodiment of Crown Prince Mohammed’s dream to modernize Saudi Arabia and wean it off its reliance on oil by 2030.
然而，這次集會極盡奢華地體現了穆罕默德王儲實現沙特阿拉伯社會的現代化，并使其在2030年前擺脫對石油的依賴的夢想。
Speaking on stage to the Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo,
在臺上接受“?？怂股虡I新聞網”主持人瑪麗亞·巴蒂羅姆的采訪時，
the prince said Saudi Arabia “and all of its projects and programs can reach new horizons in the world.”
王子說沙特阿拉伯“及其所有項目和計劃都可以在世界舞臺上邁向新的高度。”
Then he presented his blueprint for Neom, a $500 billion planned city that would rise from the sands —
之后他介紹了他設計的Neom藍圖，這是一個將耗資5000億美元打造的沙漠城市——
a futuristic Xanadu of high-tech jobs and robot workers.
一個以高科技崗位和機器人員工為特色的未來烏托邦。
Last week, that vision collided with the brutal realities of the Middle East —
上周，這一愿景與中東的殘酷現實發生了沖突——
a swirl of allegations that Crown Prince Mohammed’s family ordered the murder of a Saudi journalist in Turkey.
一連串指控都稱穆罕默德王儲的家人曾下令在土耳其謀殺一名沙特記者。
The ensuing furor has tarnished the future king’s reputation and left his conference in tatters, as foreign investors confront the dark side of his Arabian dreams.
這些指控激起的民憤不僅玷污了這位未來國王的聲譽，還讓他主持的這場會議因為外國投資者看清了他的阿拉伯夢的陰暗面而變得支離破碎。
If last year’s conference served as a grand coming-out party for Crown Prince Mohammed,
如果說去年的會議是穆罕默德王儲舉行的一次盛大的進場派對，
this year’s gathering is a symbol of the West’s deepening disillusionment with the young leader.
那么，今年的聚會就是西方對這位年輕領導人進一步的幻滅的象征。
No longer the bold reformer bent on modernizing his kingdom — a favorite of President Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner —
如今，他已不再是那個下定決心要讓他的王國實現現代化——朗普總統和他的女婿杰瑞德庫什納的最愛——的大膽改革之人，
he is now regarded as an impulsive, unreliable autocrat who falls back on crude tactics to crush dissent.
而成了人們眼中的一個沖動而不可靠，依靠粗暴的策略來粉碎異議者的獨裁分子。
The grisly, if unconfirmed, reports about the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, have prompted a growing list of attendees and sponsors to bail out of the Riyadh meeting.
關于記者賈馬爾·卡爾佐吉的那些可怕，盡管還未被證實，的報道，已經讓越來越多的與會者和贊助商退出了利雅得會議。
And by week’s end, The New York Times and every other major Western news media organization, except Fox Business Network, had canceled its participation.
截至周末，《紐約時報》和除“?？怂股虡I新聞網”之外的其他主要西方新聞媒體組織都已放棄了各自的參會資格。
譯文由可可原創，僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載。
