Viewed from the state department in Washington DC, the world is on fire(着火；比喻局势危急) – but record heatwaves are not to blame. The unresolved Iran war has badly burned Donald Trump. His military campaign conclusively failed, energy and food prices are still rising, and a Republican rout(溃败，惨败) in November’s midterm elections looms(逼近，隐约显现). Humiliatingly, Israel this week flatly rejected(断然拒绝) his latest Gaza peace proposals, days after Trump congratulated himself on a “historic breakthrough”. In Europe, Russia’s attacks on Nato allies grow increasingly brazen(肆无忌惮的，厚颜无耻的), threatening a wider escalation. The Ukraine war, which Trump vowed to end, is now well into its fifth year, with civilians on both sides caught in the killing fields.(乌克兰战争已进入第五个年头，双方平民深陷杀戮战场。) And these are just the bigger firestorms. There are plenty more.
从华盛顿特区的国务院望去，世界正处于火海之中——但创纪录的热浪并非罪魁祸首。悬而未决的伊朗战争让唐纳德·特朗普焦头烂额。他的军事行动彻底失败，能源和食品价格仍在上涨，共和党在11月中期选举中惨败的阴影迫在眉睫。更丢脸的是，以色列本周断然拒绝了他最新的加沙和平提议，而就在几天前，特朗普还为自己取得的“历史性突破”自鸣得意。在欧洲，俄罗斯对北约盟友的攻击日益肆无忌惮，威胁着更大范围的升级。特朗普曾誓言要结束的乌克兰战争，如今已进入第五个年头，双方平民深陷杀戮战场。而这些还只是较大的风暴，还有更多的危机。
Rarely has the need for effective, professional diplomacy been more pressing. So step forward Marco Rubio, US secretary of state and chief American diplomat. These are challenges that, if successfully tackled, could propel(推动，驱使) the 55-year-old son of Cuban immigrants and the former US senator for Florida into pole position(领先位置，有利地位) in the 2028 Republican presidential nomination race. Here is a chance for Rubio to defy critics who dismiss him as a lickspittle(马屁精，谄媚者) and Trump dogsbody(跟班，打杂的人), and transform himself into respected global statesman. His boss mocked him as “little Marco” and a “loser” when they were election rivals in 2016. (Rubio called him a conman(骗子，诈骗犯).) Now is Rubio’s opportunity to go big, be brave and prove he’s a winner.
对有效、专业外交的需求从未如此迫切。因此，美国国务卿、首席外交官马尔科·鲁比奥登场了。这些挑战如果成功应对，可能会推动这位55岁、古巴移民之子、前佛罗里达州参议员在2028年共和党总统提名角逐中占据领先地位。这是鲁比奥回击那些视他为马屁精和特朗普跟班的批评者、将自己转变为受人尊敬的全球政治家的机会。2016年竞选对手时，他的老板曾嘲笑他为“小马尔科”和“失败者”。（鲁比奥则称他为骗子。）现在，鲁比奥有机会大展宏图、勇敢无畏，证明自己是赢家。
Or maybe not.
或许并非如此。