The struggle for South Yemen
The struggle for South Yemen
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南也门的斗争
DOI：
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发表时间：
1984
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通讯作者：
R. Serjeant
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作者：
R. Serjeant
长期以来，亚丁一直被视为英国维持世界大国地位的重要战略资产。直到1956年5月，一位资历较浅的大臣劳埃德勋爵（Lord Lloyd）还明确表示，“在可预见的将来，殖民地居民如果希望达到某种程度的内部自治以外的任何目标，都是不合理、不明智的，也不符合殖民地居民的利益”。殖民地的战略重要性是如此之高，以至于政府无法“预见他们对殖民地的责任有任何根本性放松的可能性”。[1]奇怪的是，随着英国势力的衰落，这种重要性反而增加了。由于被逐出埃及和伊拉克，塞浦路斯和肯尼亚局势不稳，亚丁基地变得越来越重要。1960年，亚丁取代塞浦路斯成为中东司令部的总部，并在1962年的国防白色文件中被描述为三个重要的永久军事基地之一，沿着还有新加坡和英国。它被认为是保卫英国在中东、海湾和印度洋利益的关键。但问题是，英国的地位正受到阿拉伯民族主义的日益挑战，无论是在殖民地本身，还是在其腹地，即组成南阿拉伯联邦的阿拉伯保护国。然而，人们完全相信，通过武力和欺骗，这一挑战可以得到遏制，用前总督汤姆·希金博瑟姆爵士的话来说，“只要英国仍然强大，亚丁的安全就能得到维持”。2
Aden had long been regarded as an important strategic asset in the maintenance of Britain’s position as a world power. As late as May 1956, a junior minister, Lord Lloyd, had made clear that ‘for the foreseeable future it would not be reasonable or sensible or in the interests of the Colony’s inhabitants for them to aspire to any aim beyond that of a considerable degree of internal self-government’. The colony’s strategic importance was such that the government could not ‘foresee the possibility of any fundamental relaxation of their responsibilities for the Colony’. 1 Paradoxically, as British power declined, this importance actually increased. Evicted from Egypt and Iraq, with Cyprus and Kenya uncertain, the Aden base became increasingly important. In 1960 Aden replaced Cyprus as headquarters of Middle East Command and it was described in the 1962 Defence White Paper, along with Singapore and Britain itself, as one of three vital permanent military bases. It was regarded as the key to the defence of British interests in the Middle East, the Gulf and the Indian Ocean. The problem was, however, that the British position was coming under increasing challenge from Arab nationalism, both in the colony itself and in its hinterland, the Arab protectorates that made up the Federation of South Arabia. There was every confidence, however, that by force and fraud this challenge could be contained and that, in the words of a former Governor, Sir Tom Hickinbotham, the security of Aden would be ‘maintained as long as Britain remains great’. 2