美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden is visiting Ottawa this week. Concerns about Haiti are at the top of the agenda

Biden is visiting Ottawa this week. Concerns about Haiti are at the top of the agenda

Transcript¹

President Biden is set to make his first trip to Canada as president on Thursday, a visit where the security crisis in Haiti will loom² large on the agenda.

Fear and violence grip the island nation where heavily armed gangs have taken control. The United Nations has called for international peacekeepers to bolster³ the country's beleaguered⁴ police force.

The United States has suggested that Canada lead such a multinational⁵ mission, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has recently expressed reservations.

Biden and Trudeau last met in person in January at the North American Leaders' Summit in Mexico City. During that trip, White House national security adviser⁶ Jake Sullivan said Biden would talk to Trudeau about leading an effort to shore up Haiti's national police.

"The United States believes that finding a country to help lead that effort is important," Sullivan told reporters, calling it "a significant priority" for the trip. "Canada itself has expressed interest in taking on a leadership role."

The Canadian government has cooled on the idea

But after some due diligence, the Canadian government has cooled on the idea of leading a peacekeeping force, raising concerns about the capacity of the Canadian military to take on such an assignment.

During a visit to Newfoundland last week, Trudeau dismissed the idea of military intervention⁷ in Haiti and instead promoted the idea of police training and sanctions for those undercutting Haitian institutions.

"Outside intervention, as we've done in the past, hasn't worked to create long-term stability for Haiti, so we are now working closely with partners on the ground to enable the Haitian National Police and other institutions to stabilize⁸ the country in this very difficult time," he told reporters.

Henri-Paul Normandin, a former Canadian ambassador to Haiti, said the government concluded that the chances of success were uncertain, the risks were great and the political support in Haiti were lacking.

"So put all of that together, and Canada said, 'I'm not sure that we want to do this,'" said Normandin, who is now a fellow at the German Marshall Fund.

The White House hasn't given up yet

The White House says Biden plans to discuss the situation with Trudeau in Ottawa.

"We believe that the situation on the ground will not improve without armed security assistance from international partners," said an official with the National Security Council, who spoke⁹ on condition of anonymity¹⁰ ahead of the leaders' meeting.

"The United States remains¹¹ committed to providing assistance to the people of Haiti while also holding accountable those responsible for undermining Haiti's stability."

Migration¹² challenges also on the agenda

The domestic crisis in Haiti has also fueled migration challenges at both the U.S.-Mexico and U.S.-Canada borders. Both leaders face increasing domestic pressure to deal with unlawful migration.

Earlier this year, the Biden administration created a legal pathway for some migrants from Haiti, as well as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. But it also unveiled new policies making it easier to deny asylum¹³ to migrants who arrive at an official port of entry without having first applied¹⁴ for asylum in another country that they traversed through along the way.

While the numbers of migrants at the U.S. southern border are much higher, the numbers entering arriving at the Canadian border are also surging.

And opposition¹⁵ politicians have called on Trudeau to shut down a small road straddling the Canada-U.S. border. The road between New York and Quebec is a well-traveled unofficial border crossing where thousands of migrants have crossed into Canada seeking asylum.

Trudeau has faced some pressure to renegotiate a 2004 treaty with the United States, called the Safe Third Country Agreement. His opposition says it has loopholes that fuel illegal immigration.

"The migration crisis is something which is roiling¹⁶ Canada at the moment," said Eric Miller¹⁷, an adviser to the Canadian government. "And this is starting to impact the political support for a pragmatic immigration system in Canada."

It's been a while since an American president visited Ottawa

American presidents often make Canada their first foreign trip. Former President Donald Trump¹⁸ did not visit the Canadian capital during his tenure¹⁹, stopping in Canada only once for a G-7 meeting in Quebec. Trump and Trudeau did not get along.

During his two-day trip, Biden will address Parliament. He and first lady Jill Biden will have a private dinner at Trudeau's residence, and on Friday night, will attend a gala event.

Biden and Trudeau have worked together on support for Ukraine. They also coordinated²⁰ closely earlier this year when an unidentified object was detected high over Canada's Yukon territory. It was shot down by a U.S. military fighter jet from the U.S. and Canada's North American Aerospace²¹ Defense²² Command.

Biden's inaugural²³ visit to Ottawa was delayed by COVID-19 travel restrictions²⁴, but he has since traveled around the world and traveled by train into a war zone before making the short hop²⁵ north.

Canadians have taken note. They pay close attention to the temperature of the relationship with the United States, said Laura Dawson, a former senior economic adviser at the U.S. embassy in Canada.

"It is important," said Dawson, now with the non-profit Future Borders Coalition²⁶. "It's important to have a personal, in-person visit by the president just to reinforce to Canadians that this relationship is still very important to the United States."

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 loom   

n.织布机，织机；v.隐现，(危险、忧虑等)迫近

参考例句：

• The old woman was weaving on her loom.那位老太太正在织布机上织布。
• The shuttle flies back and forth on the loom.织布机上梭子来回飞动。

3 bolster   

n.枕垫；v.支持，鼓励

参考例句：

• The high interest rates helped to bolster up the economy.高利率使经济更稳健。
• He tried to bolster up their morale.他尽力鼓舞他们的士气。

4 beleaguered   

adj.受到围困[围攻]的；包围的v.围攻( beleaguer的过去式和过去分词)；困扰；骚扰

参考例句：

• The beleaguered party leader was forced to resign. 那位饱受指责的政党领导人被迫辞职。
• We are beleaguered by problems. 我们被许多困难所困扰。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 multinational   

adj.多国的，多种国籍的；n.多国籍公司，跨国公司

参考例句：

• The firm was taken over by a multinational consulting firm.这家公司被一个跨国咨询公司收购。
• He analyzed the relationship between multinational corporations and under-developed countries.他分析了跨国公司和不发达国家之间的关系。

6 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

7 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

8 stabilize   

vt.（使）稳定，使稳固，使稳定平衡；vi.稳定

参考例句：

• They are eager to stabilize currencies.他们急于稳定货币。
• His blood pressure tended to stabilize.他的血压趋向稳定。

9 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

10 anonymity   

n.the condition of being anonymous

参考例句：

• Names of people in the book were changed to preserve anonymity. 为了姓名保密，书中的人用的都是化名。
• Our company promises to preserve the anonymity of all its clients. 我们公司承诺不公开客户的姓名。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 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。

13 asylum   

n.避难所，庇护所，避难

参考例句：

• The people ask for political asylum.人们请求政治避难。
• Having sought asylum in the West for many years,they were eventually granted it.他们最终获得了在西方寻求多年的避难权。

14 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

15 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

16 roiling   

v.搅混（液体）( roil的现在分词 )；使烦恼；使不安；使生气

参考例句：

• Now, all that could be seen was the roiling, lead--coloured sea, with its thunderously heaving waves. 狂风挟着暴雨如同弥漫大雾，排挞呼号，在海上恣意奔驶。 来自汉英文学 - 现代散文
• Rather, it is a roiling, seething cauldron of evanescent particles. 相反，它是一个不断翻滚、剧烈沸腾的大锅，内有逐渐消失的粒子。 来自互联网

17 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

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 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

20 coordinated   

adj.协调的

参考例句：

• The sound has to be coordinated with the picture. 声音必须和画面协调一致。
• The numerous existing statutes are complicated and poorly coordinated. 目前繁多的法令既十分复杂又缺乏快调。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

21 aerospace   

adj.航空的，宇宙航行的

参考例句：

• The world's entire aerospace industry is feeling the chill winds of recession.全世界的航空航天工业都感受到了经济衰退的寒意。
• Edward Murphy was an aerospace engineer for the US Army.爱德华·墨菲是一名美军的航宇工程师。

22 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

23 inaugural   

adj.就职的；n.就职典礼

参考例句：

• We listened to the President's inaugural speech on the radio yesterday.昨天我们通过无线电听了总统的就职演说。
• Professor Pearson gave the inaugural lecture in the new lecture theatre.皮尔逊教授在新的阶梯讲堂发表了启用演说。

24 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

25 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

26 coalition   

n.结合体，同盟，结合，联合

参考例句：

• The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
• Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。