西歐

接下來要介紹的西歐，大概可以用「有權又有錢」來形容。九個西歐國家當中，有全球第四大經濟體德國、有人均GDP排名全球一二名的盧森堡和瑞士，還有軍武規模全球第七大的法國。身為歐盟決策核心的德國和法國，很大程度決定了歐洲走向。另外我們也常在電視上看到各國領袖選在瑞士或奧地利見面，因為這兩國是國際知名的永久中立國。 然而有錢人也是有煩惱的。西歐國家的極右派崛起，對歐洲整合構成挑戰；不斷湧入的難民加深種族之間的嫌隙；到底是要親中還是親美的選擇難題。西歐曾在二戰戰火下化為人間煉獄，現在則努力擺脫慘痛歷史，盼團結歐洲，重新站回全球峰頂。

Western Europe, the region we are about to introduce, can probably be described as rich and powerful. 

Among the nine Western European countries, there are Germany, the fourth largest economy in the world, Luxembourg and Switzerland with their GDP per capita ranking the world's first and second, as well as France, whose military strength is ranked 7th in the world. Germany and France, as the core decision makers in the European Union, dictate the development of Europe to a great extent. Also, we often see on TV that Switzerland and Austria are the selected meeting destinations for state leaders as the two are internationally well-known permanently neutral countries. 

However, being rich does not exempt one from troubles. The rise of far-right groups in Western European countries challenges European integration. The nonstop influx of refugees has been driving a wedge between races. And there is the dilemma over choosing to side with the U.S. or China. Once a purgatory during WWII, Western European countries have worked hard to put behind them their miserable past and united the continent to regain global leadership status.