Title:Sergei Skripal poisoning: It's common practice for spies to work in embassies. So when is a diplomat a spy?

It is common practice for countries to post spies in their embassies and some say Australia is no exception.

各国在使馆派驻间谍的做法很常见，有些人说澳大利亚也不例外。

Australia has joined Britain, the US and more than a dozen other countries in expelling Russian diplomats in a co-ordinated response to Moscow allegedly having poisoned former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent on British soil.

澳大利亚加入了英国，美国和十几个国家在莫斯科的协调答复中驱逐俄罗斯外交官，据称他们毒死了前间谍谢尔盖·斯里帕尔及其女儿尤利亚，在英国领土上带着神经毒剂。

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have announced that two Russian diplomats have been identified as undeclared intelligence officers and been given a week to leave the country.

马尔科姆·特恩布尔总理和外交部长朱莉·毕晓普宣布，两名俄罗斯外交官已被确定为不申报的情报官员，并被准予离开该国一周。

Mr Turnbull used the words "diplomat" and "undeclared intelligence officer" interchangeably, raising questions about whether the Government knew Russia had spies working in its embassy.

特恩布尔互换地使用了“外交官”和“未宣布的情报官”这两个词，对政府是否知道俄罗斯曾在其使馆工作的间谍提出了疑问。

They were likely both.

很可能两者兼而有之。

Spy is the conventional term for someone who gathers intelligence overseas, without letting their host country know what they are doing.

间谍是一个常规的术语，用于收集海外情报，而不让东道国知道他们在做什么。

They often present themselves as diplomats and work out of embassies, alongside declared intelligence officers.

他们往往作为外交官在场，并在使馆与已宣布的情报官员一道工作。

The difference between declared and undeclared intelligence officers is that the legitimate ones present their credentials to their host country and make it known they are there to make contact and to formally share mutually beneficial information.

宣布或未宣布的情报官员之间的区别是，合法人员向东道国提交全权证书，并公布他们有联系和正式分享互惠信息。

Spies appear on an embassy's list of diplomats, but they are involved in gathering other intelligence.

一些间谍出现在使馆的外交官名单上，但他们参与收集其他情报。

According to Ian Lincoln, a former diplomat who is now president of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (New South Wales), spies have the same objectives as intelligence officers but use different methods, such as gathering intelligence through unofficial contacts, sometimes by finding a weakness in an individual.

据现任澳大利亚国际事务研究所(新南威尔士州)主席的前外交官Ian Lincoln称，间谍的目标与情报官员相同，但采用的方法不同，比如通过非官方联系收集情报，有时通过找出某人的弱点。

John Blaxland, a professor of international security and intelligence studies, says undeclared intelligence officers pretend to comply with regular protocols, appearing at events and doing other things that make them look like regular diplomats, but on the side, they are carrying out a range of other activities.

国际安全和情报研究教授约翰·布莱克兰(John Blaxland)表示，未经宣布的情报官员会假装遵守常规程序，在事件中出庭，做其他事务，使他们看起来像正常的外交官，但在一边，他们正在进行一系列其他活动。

"Some of the old techniques are alive and well, like dead-letter-drops, meeting people, cultivating agents, fostering relationships with people who might be able to pass you information," he says.

他说：“一些古老的技术还活得好，像死信滴，和人打交道，培养特工，与可能传递信息的人建立关系。

So declared intelligence officers are diplomats that work for an intelligence agency.

因此，公开宣布的情报官员是为情报机构工作的外交官。

Undeclared intelligence officers are spies that pretend to be diplomats.

未申报的情报官员是装作外交官的间谍。

Yes, lots of countries post spies in their embassies, and lots of countries know the embassies in their country are full of spies.

是的，许多国家在使馆派驻间谍，而且许多国家都知道驻本国的大使馆都装满了间谍。

"It is an accepted part of the conduct of international relations," Mr Lincoln says.

林肯说：“这是国际关系公认的一部分。

Professor Blaxland agrees it is common, standard practice globally, and says the Russians are masters at it, having been at it for generations.

布拉克斯兰教授认为这是全球常见的标准做法，并说俄罗斯人世代代代代代代代代相传。

"With Vladimir Putin's careful fostering, they have brought their skills back to life and they are back in industrial production," he says.

他说：“在弗拉基米尔·普京仔细培育下，他们恢复了自己的技能，恢复了工业生产。

Both Professor Blaxland and Mr Lincoln say it is likely that Australia has similar agents in embassies across the world.

Blaxland教授和Lincoln先生说，澳大利亚很可能在世界各地的使馆都有类似的特务人员。

"It seems a reasonable assumption," Mr Lincoln says.

Professor Blaxland notes that Australia's intelligence agencies are never going to advertise what they do, or how they do it, as that would give the game away.

布莱克斯兰教授指出，澳大利亚情报机构永远不会宣传他们所做的事情，或者他们如何做，因为这样会使比赛失去意义。

"Working from the premise that this is what countries do, you can work out that there is probably a similar arrangement," he says.

他说：“在这个前提下，各国都这样做，你可以发现，可能存在类似的安排。

When a slew of Western nations decided to expel Russian diplomats in a show of solidarity over Moscow allegedly poisoning an ex-spy in Britain, Australia was quickly able to point to two undeclared intelligence officers.

当许多西方国家决定驱逐俄罗斯外交官，以示对莫斯科的声援，据称莫斯科对英国一名前间谍中毒事件表示声援时，澳大利亚很快能够指出两名未申报的情报官员。

Mr Lincoln says this suggests Australia knew what they were up to, even though they had not told Canberra they were gathering intelligence.

林肯先生说，这表明澳大利亚知道他们应该做什么，尽管他们没有告诉堪培拉，他们正在收集情报。

According to Professor Blaxland, it is up to ASIO to figure out who in the diplomatic community are not quite who they claim to be.

据布拉克斯兰教授说，应由安全情报组织来查明在外交界谁并不完全属于他们声称是谁。

"That's the business they are in," he says.

他说：“这就是他们所在的事。

If they suspect someone is spying on Australia, ASIO will monitor them as best as possible, keep records of their activity and expel them, if they decide it is warranted.

如果他们怀疑有人在澳大利亚从事间谍活动，澳大利亚情报组织将尽可能地监测他们，保存有关其活动的记录，并驱逐他们，如果他们决定这样做是有理由的。

But sometimes they will be allowed to stay.

但有时他们会被允许留下来。

Yes, and it might not surprise you the US and Russia lead the pack.

是的，而且可能不会令你和美国和俄罗斯领头领感到意外。

Knowingly allowing spies to operate in your country is the done thing because it is mutually beneficial.

让间谍在你们国家开展活动的明智做法是件好事，因为这对双方都有利。

"Everybody does it. You don't expel other operatives because you don't want yours expelled," Professor Blaxland says.

布莱克斯兰教授说：“每个人都这么做，你不要驱逐其他特工。

In Australia, he says ASIO might ask the Department of Foreign Affairs to expel someone they know to be spying on Australia, but it can be rejected if it is thought it will damage economic ties or hurt trade relations, for example.

在澳大利亚，意大利外交部可能会要求他们驱逐一些知道在澳大利亚从事间谍活动的人，但如果认为这样做会损害经济关系或损害贸易关系，例如贸易关系，则可能予以拒绝。

The co-ordinated expulsion of diplomats from more than a dozen countries is intended to do two things — show Moscow that Western countries stand together in solidarity against Russia's actions in Britain, and make it harder for Russia to impose their will on the rest of the world.

协调地驱逐十几个国家的外交官是为了做两件事情。 莫斯科表明，西方国家共同声援俄罗斯在英国的行动，让俄罗斯更难将自己的意志强加给世界其他地区。

"The cumulative effect of these expulsions from a number of countries will be to make it more difficult for Russia to achieve its objectives," Mr Lincoln says.

林肯说：“这些驱逐出境的累积效应将使俄罗斯更难实现其目标。

Professor Blaxland agrees.

布莱克斯兰教授表示赞同。

In his view, Mr Putin appears to have thought he could push Britain around and the repercussions of killing someone on their soil would be tolerable, because Brexit had left the UK isolated and the EU would not act in sympathy with them.

他认为，普京似乎认为他可以推动英国，杀死自己土地上的某些人的后果是可以容忍的，因为英国退出已经让英国孤立，欧盟不会对他们采取同情的态度。

But he miscalculated, and the West has come together to act in concert, to send a strong signal to Mr Putin.

但他误算了，而西方联合起来共同行动，向普京发出了一个强烈信号。

"His network of spies is being severely degraded globally," he says.

他说：“他的间谍网络正在全球范围内严重退化。