AN UNDEREXPLORED ASPECT of Aesop’s fable, “The Shepherd’s Boy and the Wolf”, is that there was a wolf. For moralists(道德家；说教者), this is a tale about lying. Three times a boy cries “Wolf!”(喊“狼来了！”) and laughs at villagers who run to help. His screams are disbelieved when a real predator attacks his sheep. Woolly carnage ensues.
伊索寓言《牧童和狼》中一个未被充分探讨的方面是：确实有一只狼。对于道德家来说，这是一个关于说谎的故事。男孩三次高喊“狼来了！”并嘲笑跑来帮忙的村民。当真正的捕食者袭击他的羊时，他的尖叫声不再被相信。毛茸茸的屠杀随之而来。
Read as a parable(寓言；比喻) about national security, Aesop’s fable is more complicated. True, the boy tells fibs(小谎；无伤大雅的谎言). But his village clearly underinvested(投资不足) in its defences. No countermeasures are triggered by an actual attack, even as the urchin(顽童；淘气孩子)’s shrieks are joined (readers assume) by the piteous bleats and gurgles of dying sheep. Instead, the wolf destroys the entire flock “at his leisure(从容地；不慌不忙地)”, Aesop writes.
作为关于国家安全的寓言来解读，伊索的寓言更加复杂。的确，男孩说了谎。但他的村庄显然在防御上投入不足。真正的攻击发生时，没有任何应对措施被触发，即使男孩的尖叫中（读者可以想象）夹杂着垂死羊群的可怜咩咩声和咯咯声。相反，狼“从容地”摧毁了整个羊群。
Tell Aesop’s tale to modern presidents or prime ministers, and they might shudder with recognition(因认出而战栗). This is a ghastly(可怕的；令人震惊的) moment to lead a liberal democracy. From Australia to Britain, France, Germany and beyond, centre-left and centre-right incumbents(现任者；在职者) are breaking records for(打破……的记录) voter disapproval. At the same time, this despised cohort is confronted with huge problems that could, if left unsolved, lead to catastrophe.
把伊索的故事讲给现代总统或首相听，他们可能会因认同而战栗。这是一个领导自由民主国家的可怕时刻。从澳大利亚到英国、法国、德国及其他地区，中左翼和中右翼的现任者正在打破选民不满的记录。与此同时，这群被鄙视的人面临着巨大的问题，如果任其发展，可能会导致灾难。
Pick your battles, centrists
中间派，要打有选择之战