美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Adopts Harder Line On Cuba

 

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President Trump¹ is ordering new restrictions² on Americans traveling or doing business in Cuba. That's a reversal from his predecessor³ Barack Obama who tried to promote more engagement with the island after decades of diplomatic isolation⁴. The new policy fulfills⁵ a promise Trump made to conservative Cuban exiles in last year's presidential election. NPR's Scott Horsley reports.

SCOTT HORSLEY, BYLINE⁶: The venue⁷ for Trump's announcement speaks volumes about America's more-than-a-half-century effort to topple the Castro regime. Trump spoke⁸ in a sweltering Miami theater named for Manuel Artime, a leader of the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I am so thrilled to be back here with all of my friends in Little Havana.

(CHEERING)

HORSLEY: Trump won the endorsement⁹ of Bay of Pigs veterans in the final days of last year's presidential campaign, and he credits his narrow victory in Florida to support from the most conservative elements of the Cuban-American community.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: You went out, and you voted. And here I am, like I promised...

(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: ...Like I promised.

HORSLEY: Polls show even in South Florida, most Cuban-Americans would like to see more contact with Cuba, not less. But that's not the audience Trump was speaking to. His listeners cheered the president when he announced a change in course.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: Effective immediately, I am canceling the last administration's completely one-sided deal with Cuba.

(CHEERING, APPLAUSE)

HORSLEY: Trump is not completely reversing Obama's Cuba initiatives. The U.S. Embassy in Havana will stay open, and commercial air service between the U.S. and Cuba will continue. But the president's order will make it harder for Americans to travel to Cuba on their own for so-called people-to-people visits.

Trump also plans to block most business transactions with companies connected to the Cuban military. That could have far-reaching effects since the military touches almost every corner of the Cuban economy, including many of the big tourist hotels.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: We will very strongly restrict American dollars flowing to the military, security and intelligence services that are the core of the Castro regime. They will be restricted.

HORSLEY: Trump's new policy was heavily influenced by a handful of Cuban-American lawmakers, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

MARCO RUBIO: America is prepared to outstretch its hand and work with the people of Cuba. But we will not - we will not empower their oppressors.

HORSLEY: Even in a Republican Congress, though, Rubio's tough-on-Cuba stance represents a minority viewpoint. Most of his Senate colleagues support legislation that would make it easier for Americans to visit Cuba. The White House says Trump is open to relaxing the new restrictions once the Cuban government frees political prisoners and holds fair elections. But Geoff Thale of the Washington Office on Latin America questions the administration's tactics.

GEOFF THALE: A policy of isolation does nothing and has done nothing to improve the human rights situation.

HORSLEY: Supporters of the Obama-era Cuba policy concede. It has not produced the kind of economic and political reforms they'd like to see. But James Williams, who heads a lobbying group that promotes engagement with Cuba, says it's too soon to quit trying.

JAMES WILLIAMS: We've had this new policy for basically two years, and we've already seen significant changes. Is it as much as we'd like to see - absolutely not. But the idea of returning to something that we know does not work doesn't make any sense.

HORSLEY: Trump is not changing some elements of the Obama Cuba policy. Americans who make it to the island will still be allowed to come home carrying Cuban rum and cigars. Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

1 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。

2 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

3 predecessor   

n.前辈，前任

参考例句：

• It will share the fate of its predecessor.它将遭受与前者同样的命运。
• The new ambassador is more mature than his predecessor.新大使比他的前任更成熟一些。

4 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

5 fulfills   

v.履行（诺言等）( fulfill的第三人称单数 )；执行（命令等）；达到（目的）；使结束

参考例句：

• He always fulfills his promises. 他总是履行自己的诺言。 来自辞典例句
• His own work amply fulfills this robust claim. 他自己的作品在很大程度上实现了这一正确主张。 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

8 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。

9 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。