Not since the 1950s and the launch of the Soviet Sputnik has there been so much paranoia about mysterious flying objects over North America. Today, as then, geopolitical shifts have combined with rapid technological advances to leave the public feeling a deep unease. Shooting down an alleged Chinese spy balloon in North American airspace, as the US did on February 4, was unprecedented; the military has since downed three more unidentified objects. The discovery of the four craft has exposed gaps in surveillance and intelligence that must be addressed. But the US authorities should be wary of fanning a 1950s-style “red scare”.
自上世纪50年代苏联发射斯普特尼克号(Sputnik)人造卫星以来，人们从未对北美上空的神秘飞行物有过如此多的偏执。今天，与当时一样，地缘政治的变化加上快速的技术进步，让公众感到深深的不安。美国2月4日在北美上空击落一个所谓的manbetx3.0 间谍气球，这是前所未有的；此后，军方又击落了三个不明物体。这四个飞行物的发现暴露了必须解决的监控和情报方面的漏洞。但美国当局应警惕煽动上世纪50年代式的“红色恐慌”。