美国国家公共电台 NPR--Biden order promises more help for Americans detained or held hostage abroad

Biden order promises more help for Americans detained or held hostage abroad

Transcript¹

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Diane Foley, mother of journalist James Foley, who was kidnapped and killed by ISIS in 2012, about an executive order meant to help wrongfully detained Americans abroad.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

An executive order by President Biden promises more help for Americans detained or held hostage abroad. It allows government agencies to impose financial sanctions and visa restrictions² on both state and non-state actors in these detentions³. The people pushing for change included Diane Foley, who was the founder⁴ of the James W. Foley Legacy⁵ Foundation. Her son, James Foley, for those who do not recall, was an American journalist working in Syria when ISIS took him hostage, held him for many months and then killed him. Diane Foley joins us now. Ms. Foley, I'm sorry to bring up the topic, but I know you live with it every day, so thank you.

DIANE FOLEY: Thank you, Steve. I'm pleased to be here.

INSKEEP: Does this...

FOLEY: It breaks my heart that - to witness this happening again with so many American citizens held hostage abroad.

INSKEEP: Does this executive order help?

FOLEY: It verbalizes teeth to the Robert Levinson Act, which was - it gives teeth, rather, to the Robert Levinson Act, which I appreciate. I think it's - that's laudable. But what we really need is action. These families - there are more than 64 public cases today. And these families of these people are languishing⁶, many of them 4 1/2 to 10 years, as wrongful detainees all over the world.

INSKEEP: You mentioned Robert Levinson, the act - the person for whom that act was named. Of course, he's a person...

FOLEY: Yes.

INSKEEP: ...Who disappeared in Iran, is believed to be dead. But there are other Americans in Iran. We don't have to go beyond Iran to find several cases, do we?

FOLEY: Not at all - China, Venezuela, Iran, certainly, Russia. We have more and more. And the reality is that many of these people, as I said, have been held captive for multiple years, having done no crime at all. And it really - I had hoped our government would do better in this regard and make it a true priority. That's what we implore⁷ this administration to do.

INSKEEP: Some people are focused on WNBA star Brittney Griner, who's been held in Russia. She's in their criminal justice system, facing drug charges. Does this executive order help the United States to support her, do you think?

FOLEY: I think it's a good step in the right direction. But we need action. We need shrewd negotiation⁸ and action because these people cannot hang on forever. Matthew Heath in Venezuela, you know, tried to commit suicide recently. I mean, they're held in deplorable, inhumane conditions.

INSKEEP: I'm thinking through the challenge of getting leverage⁹ over people who may hold Americans hostage and who may want something in return. I guess you can threaten a country like Iran or Russia with sanctions, except the United States seems already to be sanctioning them to a great degree. And then there are non-state actors, like ISIS, that I would think it would be hard to threaten in any particular way.

FOLEY: You're absolutely right. It's very complex. But our government can do it if we put our mind to it, if it's a true priority to bring our citizens and legal, permanent residents home, we need the best of our diplomats¹⁰ and negotiators on this issue.

INSKEEP: The executive order promises accurate information to families. I'd like to know about your experience several years ago. Did you get enough information during your family's long crisis?

FOLEY: We had no information, absolutely none, Steve. So I think that's improving. That's beginning. We're beginning to share some information with families, but we're just not there. We're just not there. We can do better, Steve. These are our people - could be your son or father, my mother or sister. These are real, living, breathing people, our citizens who need our help.

INSKEEP: Do you mean to say that when James Foley was in captivity¹¹, the State Department might tell you, we're on it or we'll get back to you, but they didn't - you don't believe that they were telling you everything they might know or everything they were trying to do?

FOLEY: Jim was never a priority. We were told that constantly, but it was never the case. There were always policy above people. And I'm imploring¹² this administration to put our people first for a change, Steve.

INSKEEP: I can imagine some of the difficulties with something like Iran, where the United States is trying to negotiate a nuclear agreement with Iran.

FOLEY: Right.

INSKEEP: And they're also asking after the people who were detained in Iran. But they don't want to make a nuclear trade. They don't want to, you know, give Iran some break on the nuclear deal in exchange for a hostage. I think that gets to the complexity¹³, the conflict, between policy and people, as you put it.

FOLEY: Absolutely, Steve. It isn't easy. I'm not saying this is easy. That's why people take our citizens as political pawns¹⁴, because it gives leverage. And this is what - this is why the deterrence¹⁵ is essential and the consequences are important. But it's important that we see this as the priority it is because it is becoming more and more problematic and difficult to bring our people home.

INSKEEP: Diane Foley, it's a pleasure talking with you. Thank you so much.

FOLEY: I appreciate your time, Steve. Thank you.

INSKEEP: Diane Foley's son, journalist James Foley, was kidnapped and killed by ISIS in Syria.

(SOUNDBITE OF IAN EWING, CHROMONICCI AND PHILANTHROPE'S "ZEN")

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 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 detentions   

拘留( detention的名词复数 )； 扣押； 监禁； 放学后留校

参考例句：

• Teachers may assign detention tasks as they wish and some detentions have been actually dangerous. 老师可能随心所欲指派关禁闭的形式，有些禁闭事实上很危险。
• Intimidation, beatings and administrative detentions are often enough to prevent them from trying again. 恐吓，拷打和行政拘留足以阻止请愿者二次进京的脚步。

4 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

5 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

6 languishing   

a. 衰弱下去的

参考例句：

• He is languishing for home. 他苦思家乡。
• How long will she go on languishing for her red-haired boy? 为想见到她的红头发的儿子，她还将为此烦恼多久呢？

7 implore   

vt.乞求，恳求，哀求

参考例句：

• I implore you to write. At least tell me you're alive.请给我音讯，让我知道你还活着。
• Please implore someone else's help in a crisis.危险时请向别人求助。

8 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

9 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

10 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

12 imploring   

恳求的，哀求的

参考例句：

• Those calm, strange eyes could see her imploring face. 那平静的，没有表情的眼睛还能看得到她的乞怜求情的面容。
• She gave him an imploring look. 她以哀求的眼神看着他。

13 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

14 pawns   

n.（国际象棋中的）兵( pawn的名词复数 )；卒；被人利用的人；小卒v.典当，抵押( pawn的第三人称单数 )；以（某事物）担保

参考例句：

• The hostages are being used as political pawns. 人质正被用作政治卒子。
• The allies would fear that they were pawns in a superpower condominium. 这个联盟担心他们会成为超级大国共管的牺牲品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。