柏林墙
柏林墙倒塌
看中国编者按：自去年底开始，一股民主的力量席卷了整个阿拉伯世界。从突尼斯的“茉莉花革命”開始，继而到约旦、阿尔及利亚、也门等国家，乃至目前的埃及政变，都掀起一股反独裁专政的抗议示威浪潮。民主与自由究竟有何魅力？回首看1963年美国总统约翰·肯尼迪如何陈述两种政党统治下的不同与自由民主的特点便可窥知一二，以下是肯尼迪在西德市政厅柏林墙前发表的演说：
二千年以前，最自豪的夸耀是Civitas Romanus sum（我是罗马公民），今天，自由世界最自豪的夸耀是Ich bin ein Berliner（我是一个柏林人）。
世界上有许多人确实不懂，或者说他们不明白什么是自由世界和共产主义世界的根本分歧。让他们来柏林吧。有些人说，共产主义是未来的潮流。让他们来柏林吧。有些人说，我们能在欧洲或其他地方与共产党人合作。让他们来柏林吧。甚至有那么几个人说，共产主义确是一种邪恶的制度，但它可以使我们取得经济发展。“Lasst sie nach Berlin kommen.”（让他们到柏林看看）
自由有许多困难，民主亦非完美，然而我们从未建造一堵墙把我们的人民关在里面，不准他们离开我们。我愿意我的同胞们——他们与你们远隔千里住在大西洋彼岸——说，他们为能在远方与你们共有过去十八年的经历感到莫大的骄傲。我不知道还有哪一个城镇或都市被围困十八年仍保有西柏林的这种生机、力量、希望和决心。全世界都看到，柏林墙最生动最明显地表现出一种失败。但我们对此并不感到称心如意，因为柏林墙既是对历史也是对人性的冒犯，它拆散家庭，造成妻离子散骨肉分离，把希冀统一的一个民族分成两半。
这个城市的事实也用于整个德国——只要四个德国人中有一个被剥夺了自由人的基本权利，即自由选择的权利，那么欧洲真正持久的和平便绝无可能实现。经过保持和平与善意的十八年，这一代德国人终于赢得自由的权利，包括在持久和平中善所有的人民，实现家庭团聚和民族统一的权利。你们住在受到保护的一座自由之岛上，但你们的生活是大海的一部分。因此让我在结束讲话时请求你们抬起目光，超越今日的危险看到明天的希望；超越这道墙看到正义的生平来临的一天；超越你们自己和我们自己看到全人类。自由是不可分割的，只要一人被奴役，所有的人都不自由。当所有的人都自由了，那时我们便能期待这一天的到来：在和平与希望的光辉中这座城市获得统一，这个国家获得统一，欧洲大陆获得统一。当这一天最终来临---它必将来临时，西柏林人民将能对这一点感到欣慰：几乎二十年时间里他们站在第一线。
一切自由人，不论他们住在何方，皆是柏林市民，所以作为一个自由人，我为“Ich bin ein Berliner”这句话感到自豪。
英文原文：
Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was "civis Romanus sum." Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is "Ich bin ein Berliner."
I appreciate my interpreter translating my German!
There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin. And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin. And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin.
Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in, to prevent them from leaving us. I want to say, on behalf of my countrymen, who live many miles away on the other side of the Atlantic, who are far distant from you, that they take the greatest pride that they have been able to share with you, even from a distance, the story of the last 18 years. I know of no town, no city, that has been besieged for 18 years that still lives with the vitality and the force, and the hope and the determination of the city of West Berlin. While the wall is the most obvious and vivid demonstration of the failures of the Communist system, for all the world to see, we take no satisfaction in it, for it is, as your Mayor has said, an offense not only against history but an offense against humanity, separating families, dividing husbands and wives and brothers and sisters, and dividing a people who wish to be joined together.
What is true of this city is true of Germany--real, lasting peace in Europe can never be assured as long as one German out of four is denied the elementary right of free men, and that is to make a free choice. In 18 years of peace and good faith, this generation of Germans has earned the right to be free, including the right to unite their families and their nation in lasting peace, with good will to all people. You live in a defended island of freedom, but your life is part of the main. So let me ask you as I close, to lift your eyes beyond the dangers of today, to the hopes of tomorrow, beyond the freedom merely of this city of Berlin, or your country of Germany, to the advance of freedom everywhere, beyond the wall to the day of peace with justice, beyond yourselves and ourselves to all mankind.
Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great Continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. When that day finally comes, as it will, the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades.
All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner."
