(本文选自《经济学人》20210410期)
背景介绍：
近日，伊拉克宣布对包括中国、美国、英国、法国和俄罗斯等36个国家实行免签政策，来自这些国家的人们可以在抵达伊拉克后申请落地签。专家分析，这项政策变动的目的是为了刺激国内经济，吸引外国投资者的到来并创造就业机会。
Opening up
Getting into Iraq may soon be much easier
Getting into Iraq has never been easy. Saddam Hussein was loth to grant visas to curious Westerners, lest they see evidence of his regime’s brutality. After his overthrow in 2003, the borders opened up, but war kept civilians away.
入境伊拉克从来都不是一件容易的事。萨达姆·侯赛因是不愿给充满好奇心的西方人发放签证的，因为害怕他们收集到其施暴政的证据。2003年，随着萨达姆政权被推翻，伊拉克边境开始变得开放，但连年的战争迫使民众纷纷远走他乡。
Then Iraq’s new rulers lowered a paper
portcullis
, demanding fees and the completion of myriad forms. Local middlemen offered to help—for a price, of course. Oil firms
coughed up
thousands of dollars to get their workers in.
随后，伊拉克新的统治者放宽了入境限制，人们只需缴纳费用并填写多张表格即可获得签证。当地中介也会提供帮助——当然，这需要支付一定费用。石油公司勉强拿出了数千美元以便让他们的工人入境。
That is all changing. Last month Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the prime minister, scrapped visa requirements for visitors from 36 countries, including America, China and those in the EU.
但这一切都在发生变化。上个月，伊拉克总理穆斯塔法·卡迪希米对来自36个国家（其中包括美国、中国和欧盟国家等）的游客实行了免签政策。
They will be granted a two-month entry permit on arrival. Officials say the move will cut
red tape
, encourage investment and kick-start reconstruction. “It’s the single most effective decision to open Iraq to the world,” says a frequent German visitor.
这些国家的人们在抵达伊拉克后将获得为期两个月的入境许可。伊拉克官员表示，此举将减少繁文缛节，鼓励人们前来投资，并能推动伊拉克的重建工作。一位经常前来伊拉克的德国人称：“这是向世界开放伊拉克的唯一最有效的决定。”
The move is an effort to reposition Iraq as “an area of co-operation, not
confrontation
”, says one of Mr Kadhimi’s men. The prime minister hopes it will also let Iraq depend less on Iran. His advisers dream of attracting expats and even tourists. Iraq is certainly safer than it used to be. A visit by Pope Francis last month went off without a hitch.
卡迪希米的一位部下表示，此举旨在将伊拉克重新定位为“一个合作而非对抗的地区”。总理希望此举能减少伊拉克对伊朗的依赖。总理的顾问们希望能吸引外国人（甚至外国游客）前来。现在的伊拉克肯定比过去更安全了。上个月，教皇方济各对伊拉克的访问也很顺利。
Not everyone is happy, though. Some officials prefer Iranian to Western influence; others fear losing out on bribes. And
xenophobia
is still a problem.
不过，并非所有人都对此感到高兴。一些官员更亲伊朗而非西方国家；还有一些人则担心失去受贿的机会。同时，仇外心理也是一大问题。
Clerics accuse the government of giving Westerners priority over pilgrims from Muslim countries that are not included in the plan. “It’s discrimination and won’t bring back tourism,” says a cleric in the holy city of Najaf.
神职人员指责政府优先考虑的是西方人，而非来自其他穆斯林国家（这些国家不在免签国名单里）的朝圣者。圣城纳杰夫的一位神职人员说：“这是一种歧视，是不会让伊拉克的旅游业走向复苏的。”
The doors are not fully open yet. Iraqi consular staff say they have not been officially notified of the changes and that foreigners should still apply for visas. Mr Kadhimi’s underlings don’t always enforce his decrees. Spring break in Baghdad may have to wait until next year.
伊拉克的大门还没有完全打开。伊拉克领事馆的工作人员说，他们尚未接到有关这些变化的正式通知，目前外国人仍需申请签证才能入境。卡迪希米的部下并不总会执行他的法令。想在巴格达欢度春假的人们可能要等到明年了。
(红色标注词为重难点词汇)
本文翻译：Vinnie
校核：Vinnie
编辑：Vinnie
自2003年萨达姆·侯赛因政权被推翻之后，伊拉克陷入了长期的战乱，再加上联合国的制裁，使得该国经济一直停滞不前。而随着新任总理穆斯塔法·卡迪希米的上台，伊拉克实行了包括免签在内的多项政策，以吸引外国投资者前来。
重难点词汇：
portcullis
[pɔːrtˈkʌlɪs] n. 吊闸；铁闸门
confrontation
[ˌkɑːnfrənˈteɪʃn] n. 对抗；面对；对峙
xenophobia
[ˌzenəˈfoʊbiə] n. 仇外；对外国人的畏惧和憎恨
