古巴大停电：特朗普的石油封锁，如何一步步逼向一座海岛

最近这段时间，古巴正经历一场很严重的危机。

Lately, Cuba has been going through a very serious crisis.

简单说，就是整个国家，一次又一次地大停电。

Simply put, the whole country keeps suffering massive blackouts.

就在这个七月，短短一个星期里，古巴就全国停电了两次。

This July, in the span of a single week, Cuba had two nationwide blackouts.

从年初算到现在，这样的全国大停电，已经有四次了。

Counting from the start of the year, there have already been four such nationwide blackouts.

每次一停电，整座岛，晚上就陷入一片漆黑。

Each time the power fails, the whole island sinks into pitch darkness at night.

那问题来了，好好的一个国家，怎么会连电都发不出来呢？

So the question is: how does a functioning country end up unable to even generate electricity?

根子上，是因为古巴没有石油了。

At root, it's because Cuba has run out of oil.

古巴的电，大部分要靠烧石油来发。

Most of Cuba's electricity is generated by burning oil.

可它自己产的油不多，一大半都得从国外买。

But it produces little of its own; more than half must be bought abroad.

偏偏就在这个节骨眼上，它的石油，被人从外面掐断了。

And at exactly this critical moment, its oil was cut off from the outside.

掐断它的，正是美国和特朗普政府。

The one doing the cutting is the US and the Trump administration.

其实，美国和古巴之间，已经别扭了六十多年，这次的石油封锁，只是这段老恩怨里，最狠的一招。

In fact, the US and Cuba have been at odds for over sixty years; this oil blockade is just the harshest move in that old feud.

今年年初，特朗普签了一道命令，等于是给古巴上了一道"石油封锁"。

Early this year, Trump signed an order that amounts to an "oil blockade" on Cuba.

他放话说：谁敢卖石油给古巴，美国就对谁加征很高的关税。

He declared: whoever dares sell oil to Cuba, the US will slap with steep tariffs.

很多国家一掂量，不敢得罪美国，也就不再卖油给古巴了。

Weighing the risk, many countries dared not offend the US and stopped selling oil to Cuba.

过去，一直有一个国家在接济古巴，那就是委内瑞拉。

In the past, one country had long propped up Cuba: Venezuela.

可后来，特朗普对委内瑞拉也动了手，赶走了那里的总统。

But later, Trump moved on Venezuela too, driving out its president.

委内瑞拉自己都自身难保，自然也就顾不上古巴了。

Venezuela, barely able to save itself, naturally could no longer look after Cuba.

几路一断，古巴的石油，越来越少，最后彻底见了底。

With these lifelines severed, Cuba's oil dwindled until it ran completely dry.

从年初到现在，只有一艘俄罗斯的油轮，给古巴送到过一船油。

From the start of the year until now, only one Russian tanker has delivered a single shipload of oil to Cuba.

而古巴那套电网，本来就很老，大多是几十年前留下的，早就该修了。

And Cuba's power grid was already old — mostly left over from decades ago, long overdue for repair.

旧电网加上没有油，可以说是雪上加霜。

An old grid plus no oil — misfortune piled on misfortune.

更别提，古巴本来就不富裕，这些年游客一年比一年少，日子过得紧巴巴。

Not to mention Cuba was never wealthy; tourists have dwindled year by year, and money is tight.

现在一天到晚地停电，连仅剩的那点旅游生意，也几乎做不下去了。

Now, with blackouts around the clock, even the last bit of tourism can hardly go on.

真正让人揪心的，是普通古巴人的日子。

What truly wrenches the heart is the lives of ordinary Cubans.

古巴天气很热，可没有电，家里连个风扇都转不起来。

Cuba is sweltering, but with no power, people can't even run a fan at home.

一到晚上，整座城市漆黑一片，连红绿灯都不亮，出门都变得很危险。

Come night, the whole city is pitch black — even the traffic lights are dead — and going out becomes dangerous.

很多人只能点起蜡烛，做饭没有煤气，就在院子里烧柴生火。

Many can only light candles, and with no gas to cook, they burn firewood in the courtyard.

更要命的是医院。

Most critical of all are the hospitals.

没有电，冰箱停了，很多药就坏掉了，仪器也用不了。

Without power, fridges stop, many medicines spoil, and equipment can't run.

联合国的一位官员说了一句很重的话：因为缺少药品，一些孩子正在死去。

A UN official said something grave: for lack of medicine, some children are dying.

数据也显示，最近几个月，古巴婴儿的死亡率，差不多翻了一倍。

Data shows, too, that in recent months Cuba's infant mortality has nearly doubled.

正因为这样，联合国和很多人权组织都在批评美国，说这种做法，真正惩罚到的，其实是那些无辜的老百姓，而不是政府。

For this reason, the UN and many rights groups are criticizing the US, saying such tactics truly punish the innocent people, not the government.

那特朗普为什么非要把古巴逼到这一步？

So why is Trump so determined to push Cuba to this point?

说到底，他是想通过这种极限施压，逼古巴的政府下台，换一个亲美的政府。

Ultimately, through this maximum pressure, he wants to force Cuba's government to fall and replace it with a pro-US one.

面对压力，古巴也不是什么都没做。

Under the pressure, Cuba hasn't sat idle.

它推出了一些多年来最大胆的经济改革，还从中国进口了不少太阳能设备，想多用太阳来发电。

It has rolled out some of its boldest economic reforms in years and imported plenty of solar equipment from China, hoping to draw more power from the sun.

但这些，都不是一天两天能见效的。

But none of this pays off overnight.

在这段难熬的日子里，古巴人只能在黑暗和高温里，一天一天地扛。

Through these grueling days, Cubans can only endure, day by day, in the dark and the heat.

一边，是两个大国之间的博弈；另一边，是一个个普通人，连一盏灯、一台风扇，都成了奢望。

On one side, a contest between two great powers; on the other, ordinary people for whom even a single lamp or fan has become a luxury.

这中间的距离，实在让人心里不是滋味。

The gulf between the two leaves a bitter taste.

好，今天这个有点沉重的故事，就先聊到这儿，我们下次再见。

Okay, that's where we'll leave this somewhat heavy story today; see you next time.