在英文中,如Investopedia中,对该词的释义如下:
Odious debt, also known as illegitimate debt, is when a country's government changes and the successor government does not want to pay debts incurred by the previous government. Usually, successor governments argue that the previous government misappropriated money it had borrowed and that they should not be held responsible for the previous regime’s alleged misdeeds.
(参考译文:Odious debt,又称非法债务,是指一国政府更迭后,继任政府不想偿还前政府所欠债务的情况。通常情况下,继任政府会辩称,前政府挪用了其借贷的资金,他们不应对前政权的所谓不当行为负责。)
通俗来讲,,"Odious Debt"是指一种特殊类型的国家债务。当一个政府借款并用这些资金进行非法、不道德或不符合其公民的最佳利益的行动(例如,用于压制人民或贪污腐败),这些债务可能被认为是恶意的。换句话说,它是在不具备合法性或公正性的前提下产生的债务。
这个概念的核心是,如果一个政权因为非法或不道德的行为产生了大量债务,那么当政权更迭后,新的政府或国家的公民不应承担偿还这种非法或不正当债务的责任。
Odious debt的概念在国际法中仍然存在争议,并不总是被普遍接受或实施。但它为处理一些国家在独裁政府、冲突或其他争议情境下所累积的巨额债务提供了一个理论框架。
在中文中,通常被翻译为“恶意债务”或“恶债”。这个术语描述的是在不利于国民或不合法的情况下,由政府所积累的债务。
具体使用场景可参考如下双语示例:
Many activists argue that debts incurred by dictatorial regimes for personal gain should be considered odious debt and not be honored by successor governments.
许多活动家认为,独裁政权为了个人利益所产生的债务应被视为恶意债务,并且后续政府不应承担还款。
Some nations have sought debt relief on the grounds that a significant portion of their obligations can be categorized as odious debt.
一些国家寻求债务减免,理由是他们的部分债务可以被归类为恶意债务。
The concept of odious debt has been used as a legal argument for debt repudiation by new democratic governments.
恶意债务的概念被新的民主政府用作法律上拒绝偿还债务的论据。
The legitimacy of odious debt under international law remains a subject of debate and contention.
在国际法下,恶意债务的合法性仍然是一个有争议的议题。
