美国国家公共电台 NPR--The U.S. is hosting the Summit of Americas for the first time since 1994

The U.S. is hosting the Summit of Americas for the first time since 1994

Transcript¹

President Biden is hosting Latin American leaders in Los Angeles this week. The Summit of the Americas is drawing attention to the weakened influence the administration wields² in the region.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

The U.S. is hosting the Summit of the Americas. This week's Los Angeles gathering³ is the first time it's being held in the U.S. since the leaders in the Western Hemisphere began meeting in 1994. White House officials promise an ambitious agenda tackling record migration⁴, climate change and preparation for a future pandemic. But so far, that has been overshadowed by a major boycott⁵ and questions about waning⁶ U.S. influence in the region. White House correspondent Franco Ordo?ez has more.

FRANCO ORDO?EZ, BYLINE⁷: There was a lot of optimism in Latin America when Joe Biden took office. He had more experience in the region than any previous modern president. As vice⁸ president, he visited more than 16 times and tried to convince skeptical⁹ Latin American leaders that the United States was listening. Here he was at the 2009 summit.

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VICE PRES JOE BIDEN: We really, genuinely - we genuinely want to be collaborative. We genuinely want to engage.

ORDO?EZ: But after more than a year in office, Biden has devoted¹⁰ so much time to Russia and China. And he faces questions about the U.S. commitment to Latin America. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador had another question.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT ANDRES MANUEL LOPEZ OBRADOR: (Speaking Spanish).

ORDO?EZ: He said if Biden excluded some leaders from the summit, he wouldn't go either. The White House thought about it, but ruled out inviting¹¹ the authoritarian¹² leaders of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. So Lopez Obrador is not coming, and several other leaders followed suit. It speaks to waning U.S. influence in the region.

ERIC FARNSWORTH: This should not have been a surprise.

ORDO?EZ: Eric Farnsworth is a former State Department official now at the Council of Americas.

FARNSWORTH: I've been saying this since at least last summer, right? You are heading for a train wreck¹³ unless, you know, you change course in some way and recognize that the hemisphere has shifted. But our policy in the region is simply, you know, status quo.

ORDO?EZ: He says the region is crying out for economic relief following the pandemic and getting little help from the U.S., while China sits in wait with an open checkbook. He says countries like Mexico wouldn't even consider making such public threats if it wasn't politically expedient¹⁴.

FARNSWORTH: We have got to be more proactive. We've got to start offering things that the hemisphere finds attractive. It's got to benefit leaders more than it costs them politically to show up.

ORDO?EZ: The White House downplays the controversy¹⁵.

BRIAN NICHOLS: Our influence is extensive and unquestioned.

ORDO?EZ: That's Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols, who oversees¹⁶ U.S. policy for the Western Hemisphere. He says any absences won't stop business from getting done. And that includes improving medical supply chains, millions of dollars to fight hunger, a climate and energy partnership¹⁷ with the Caribbean, as well as a declaration to confront historic flows of migration.

NICHOLS: At the end of the day, people will see that we have taken a large number of concrete measures that will make people's lives better.

ORDO?EZ: Biden will also meet with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. It'll be the first time he speaks with the controversial leader who was a close ally of former President Donald Trump¹⁸. Lately, Bolsonaro has been making false claims about Brazil's election system, similar to the false claims made by Trump about Biden's election.

JORGE GUAJARDO: It's not Biden's political capital that's weakened. It's the United States' political capital that's been weakened.

ORDO?EZ: Jorge Guajardo was a former Mexican ambassador to China. He says it has less to do with competition from China and more to do with the United States' own recent challenges with upholding democracy. It's a question Biden has faced from allies around the world.

GUAJARDO: Asian countries say the same thing. Don't make us choose between the U.S. and China because we don't know if your successor will follow through with what you're offering.

ORDO?EZ: He said that wasn't a problem before because the United States did a better job standing¹⁹ up for its principles.

Franco Ordo?ez, NPR News.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 wields   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的第三人称单数 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• She wields enormous power within the party. 她操纵着党内大权。
• He remains chairman, but wields little power at the company. 他还是主席，但在公司没有什么实权了。

3 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

4 migration   

n.迁移，移居，（鸟类等的）迁徙

参考例句：

• Swallows begin their migration south in autumn.燕子在秋季开始向南方迁移。
• He described the vernal migration of birds in detail.他详细地描述了鸟的春季移居。

5 boycott   

n./v.(联合)抵制，拒绝参与

参考例句：

• We put the production under a boycott.我们联合抵制该商品。
• The boycott lasts a year until the Victoria board permitsreturn.这个抗争持续了一年直到维多利亚教育局妥协为止。

6 waning   

adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡

参考例句：

• Her enthusiasm for the whole idea was waning rapidly. 她对整个想法的热情迅速冷淡了下来。
• The day is waning and the road is ending. 日暮途穷。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

8 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

9 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

10 devoted   

adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的

参考例句：

• He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国的教育事业贡献了一生。
• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。

11 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

12 authoritarian   

n./adj.专制(的)，专制主义者，独裁主义者

参考例句：

• Foreign diplomats suspect him of authoritarian tendencies.各国外交官怀疑他有着独裁主义倾向。
• The authoritarian policy wasn't proved to be a success.独裁主义的政策证明并不成功。

13 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

14 expedient   

adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计

参考例句：

• The government found it expedient to relax censorship a little.政府发现略微放宽审查是可取的。
• Every kind of expedient was devised by our friends.我们的朋友想出了各种各样的应急办法。

15 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

16 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网

17 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

18 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

19 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。