The US Senate voted overwhelmingly yesterday to override¹ a presidential veto on a bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia.

美国参议院昨日以压倒性多数投票推翻总统对一项法案的否决，该法案将允许9/11遇难者家属起诉沙特阿拉伯。

The legislation is part of a potential sea change in the kingdom’s relationships with the west over its alleged² connection to religious extremism and its conduct of the war in Yemen.

这项立法是沙特与西方关系潜在发生巨变的一部分，焦点是沙特与宗教极端主义据称存在的联系，以及该国在也门的战争行为。

Despite fierce last-minute lobbying by the Obama administration and the Saudi embassy in Washington, the Senate voted 97-1 to support the bill, which Barack Obama vetoed last week.

尽管奥巴马政府和沙特驻华盛顿大使馆进行了最后时刻的大力游说，但参议院仍以97票对1票支持上周被奥巴马否决的这项法案。

If the House of Representatives also passes the bill again this week by more than two-thirds, as it is expected to do, it will represent both the first override of a veto in this administration and a striking rebuke³ of the Saudis who once demanded strong loyalty⁴ in Washington.

如果众议院像各方预期的那样，本周也以超过三分之二的票数再次通过该法案，那将标志着奥巴马政府首次遭遇总统否决被推翻，此举也将是对沙特极不客气的斥责；而沙特一度要求华盛顿铁杆支持。

While Riyadh is still considered by the US and British governments as a critical partner in counter-terrorism operations and in the fight against Isis, the Saudis are having to adjust to a more openly critical political mood in many capitals.

尽管利雅得方面仍被美国和英国政府视为反恐行动和打击伊拉克和黎凡特伊斯兰国(ISIS)的关键伙伴，但沙特正不得不适应许多国家首都更加公开批评的政治情绪。

We have begged them to be better about targeting [in air strikes in Yemen].

我方曾经恳求他们在空袭也门时把目标搞搞清楚。

We have told them the targets not to hit and they have not listened, said Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat⁵.

我方告诉他们哪些目标不该轰炸，他们却什么都不听，民主党参议员克里斯•墨菲(Chris Murphy)表示。

I would absolutely argue that we should be sending messages to the Saudis that our support for them is conditional⁶.

我绝对认为，我们应该向沙特方面发出一个信息，我方对他们的支持是有条件的。

US analysts⁷ say rising Sunni militancy⁸ in Yemen, fuelled by Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war, is feeding anti-Saudi sentiment in Washington.

美国分析人士表示，沙特参战助燃的也门逊尼派武装组织不断壮大，正在推动华盛顿的反沙特情绪。

Some in the Senate are looking at ways of linking problematic elements of the Saudi campaign in Yemen with 9/11 to create a larger narrative⁹ that Saudi is an ally that we need to look into, said Andrew Bowen, a fellow at the Wilson Center’s Middle East programme.

一些参议员正在设法把沙特在也门发起的战役中一些有问题的地方与9/11挂钩，以制造一个更大的口实，说明沙特是我们需要反思的一个盟友，华盛顿智库威尔逊中心(Wilson Center)的中东项目研究员安德鲁•鲍恩(Andrew Bowen)表示。

Yesterday’s vote was an important test of the political climate facing the Saudis, with the Senate deciding to override a veto by President Barack Obama of the 9/11 bill that had passed both houses of Congress unanimously.

昨天的投票是对沙特面临的政治气候的重要考验，结果是参议院决定推翻巴拉克•奥巴马(Barack Obama)总统对国会两院此前一致通过的9/11法案的否决。

The bill allows the courts to waive¹⁰ claims to foreign sovereign immunity¹¹ in cases involving terrorist acts on US soil.

该法案允许法院在涉及发生在美国本土的恐怖行为的案件中放弃外国主权豁免主张。

It is rooted in the suspicion that Saudi government officials gave assistance to the 9/11 hijackers while they were in the US, a sentiment that remains¹² strong in the US Congress.

它植根于这样一种怀疑，即当年沙特政府官员在9/11劫机者在美国期间曾给予他们协助；这种怀疑情绪在美国国会很有市场。

There is a directly proportional relationship between the amount of Saudi and Wahhabi money that goes into parts of the globe and the success of terrorist recruiters, said Mr Murphy.

在沙特和瓦哈比派（伊斯兰教逊尼宗的一脉，在教义上极端保守——译者注）向世界某地输送的资金数额与恐怖份子招募者在当地的成功之间，存在着直接的比例关系，参议员墨菲表示。