美国国家公共电台 NPR Despite 'Loss Of Faith' In Kim Jong Un, The U.S. Tries Again For A Nuclear Deal

Despite 'Loss Of Faith' In Kim Jong Un, The U.S. Tries Again For A Nuclear Deal

RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:

The U.S. is trying again to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Diplomats¹ are communicating with the reclusive regime. A senior U.S. official says they're sending messages through North Korea's mission to the United Nations. The U.S. hopes to schedule new talks after previous frustrations². But even as they try, U.S. strategists are privately³ posing a hard question.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's a question about North Korea's leader. Is it possible that Kim Jong Un cannot make the deal the U.S. wants? He is an absolute ruler but has not moved far toward U.S. demands. It's a big deal if he cannot make an agreement, since the U.S. has tried so hard to appeal to him. Three times, President Trump⁴ has approached North Korea by going straight to the top.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I want to thank Chairman Kim for taking the first bold step toward a bright new future for his people.

INSKEEP: The first bold step was a summit in Singapore, the first-ever meeting between the two countries' presidents. Trump and Kim agreed to work toward denuclearization, but little happened. Kim eventually agreed to let inspectors⁵ see a nuclear test site, but inspectors never got in. So President Trump went to the top again. He tried a second summit in Hanoi, which National Security Adviser⁶ John Bolton described this way.

JOHN BOLTON: This is one more chance for Kim Jong Un, who is the only decision-maker that matters in the North Korean system, to deliver on what he said in Singapore.

INSKEEP: In Hanoi, Kim made an offer far short of giving up his weapons, and the summit ended early. Later, President Trump went to the top a third time, meeting Kim last month at the fortified⁷ border between the Koreas.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TRUMP: We've developed a great relationship. I really think that...

INSKEEP: They promised to restart lower-level negotiations⁹ in two to three weeks. Four weeks later, the talks have not begun. A U.S. official says North Korea has not even named a lead negotiator. A person familiar with the U.S. diplomatic effort tells NPR that President Trump still has faith that Kim can give up nuclear weapons. But elsewhere in the government, the source describes widespread loss of faith in Kim. We called analysts¹⁰ who studied Kim. Jenny Town works for 38 North, a project named after the 38th parallel that roughly divides the two Koreas.

Is Kim Jong Un fully¹¹ able to make any deal that he thinks is right with the United States?

JENNY TOWN: He is the decision-maker, and he is able to make those decisions, but it doesn't come without consequences. And I think this is a bit underappreciated, that there is different constituencies within North Korea that he does also have to answer to at some point.

INSKEEP: To keep his regime stable, Kim needs the elite¹² figures who surround him to be confident in his chosen course.

TOWN: But also especially the military. And you've seen over the past, since Kim Jong Un came to power in 2011, a real shift in power away from the military back towards the party and trying to re-energize the party and really re-empower the party over the military. And I think this has been a big source of tensions among some of the elites¹³ and some of the old guard as to trying to really come to terms with this shifting dynamic.

INSKEEP: Now comes the added pressure of negotiation⁸ with the outside world. Readers of North Korea's state-run press see hints of disagreement.

TOWN: There seems to be a very subtle debate going on. We've seen it in state media of some of these loyalists that are really questioning the value of, why are we giving away our nuclear deterrent¹⁴? Why are we, you know, working with these capitalists? Especially since they haven't seen results from the negotiations. And I think the regime, I think, is trying to show the value of diplomacy¹⁵ and improving foreign relations.

INSKEEP: Are you telling me that in this unfree country, where saying the wrong thing can get you killed, that in the state media, there have been articles written by people that appear in subtle ways to question the course of the government toward diplomacy?

TOWN: Yes. There absolutely has been. They might pose a question as to, you know, what is the value of this, and is this really the right path.

INSKEEP: Kim Jong Un himself has expressed skepticism. He referred to the U.S. in a speech in April. He said President Trump, quote, "continuously observes that the two presidents are friendly. But," he says, "the U.S. is making one-sided demands based on poor political calculations." Analysts say Kim's own political calculations make it hard to give up nuclear weapons.

JEAN LEE: This is a leader who is looking out for a better quality of life for his people with him on top as leader. And that adds a whole other element to the negotiation.

INSKEEP: Jean Lee spoke¹⁶ with us from Seoul. She is a former AP journalist who spent much time in Pyongyang hearing propaganda that Kim used to maintain public support.

LEE: And he sees the nuclear weapon, and they call it their treasured sword. He sees it as being the one thing that he has told his people is protecting them from a foreign invasion.

INSKEEP: And Ken¹⁷ Gause suspects he won't give it up. Gause studies North Korea's leadership for CNA, a research institute linked with the U.S. government. He's thinking about the people's basic acceptance of Kim's rule.

Where does his legitimacy¹⁸ come from?

KEN GAUSE: Well, as a third-generation leader, his legitimacy partly comes from the family. But it also increasingly - more so than his father and grandfather - comes from the ability to show himself as an effective leader. And that means in terms of policy.

INSKEEP: He needs to show achievements. And since his success in improving the economy is limited, he needs the achievements of the nuclear program.

GAUSE: I think he can dismantle¹⁹ parts of the program. But again, with certain caveats²⁰ on here. Not verifiable and not irreversible.

INSKEEP: Not verifiable meaning that international inspectors walking around North Korea is just not going to happen, or they're not willing to let it happen.

GAUSE: It's going to be highly constricted²¹ and probably not near as much as we would want.

INSKEEP: To accept even a partial dismantling²², Kim would need concessions²³ from the United States, like lifting economic sanctions against North Korea. The U.S. has held out that possibility but says North Korea must give up its weapons program first.

GAUSE: Kim is not moving an iota²⁴ unless the U.S. puts stuff on the table, which means money going into the pockets of the elite because that's the people he has to satisfy.

INSKEEP: Gause is among those who think a step-by-step agreement is still possible. First one side gives a little then the other does. But the Trump administration opposes that incremental²⁵ approach, fearing North Korea would never finish it. This leaves diplomats still searching for a formula that gives the U.S. what it wants while giving North Korea's power structure what it needs.

1 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》

2 frustrations   

挫折( frustration的名词复数 )； 失败； 挫败； 失意

参考例句：

• The temptation would grow to take out our frustrations on Saigon. 由于我们遭到挫折而要同西贡算帐的引诱力会增加。
• Aspirations will be raised, but so will frustrations. 人们会产生种种憧憬，但是种种挫折也会随之而来。

3 privately   

adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地

参考例句：

• Some ministers admit privately that unemployment could continue to rise.一些部长私下承认失业率可能继续升高。
• The man privately admits that his motive is profits.那人私下承认他的动机是为了牟利。

4 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。

5 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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 fortified   

adj. 加强的

参考例句：

• He fortified himself against the cold with a hot drink. 他喝了一杯热饮御寒。
• The enemy drew back into a few fortified points. 敌人收缩到几个据点里。

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 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

10 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

12 elite   

n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的

参考例句：

• The power elite inside the government is controlling foreign policy.政府内部的一群握有实权的精英控制着对外政策。
• We have a political elite in this country.我们国家有一群政治精英。

13 elites   

精华( elite的名词复数 )； 精锐； 上层集团； （统称）掌权人物

参考例句：

• The elites are by their nature a factor contributing to underdevelopment. 这些上层人物天生是助长欠发达的因素。
• Elites always detest gifted and nimble outsiders. 社会名流对天赋聪明、多才多艺的局外人一向嫌恶。

14 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

15 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

16 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。

17 ken   

n.视野，知识领域

参考例句：

• Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。
• Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

18 legitimacy   

n.合法，正当

参考例句：

• The newspaper was directly challenging the government's legitimacy.报纸直接质疑政府的合法性。
• Managing from the top down,we operate with full legitimacy.我们进行由上而下的管理有充分的合法性。

19 dismantle   

vt.拆开，拆卸；废除，取消

参考例句：

• He asked for immediate help from the United States to dismantle the warheads.他请求美国立即提供援助，拆除这批弹头。
• The mower firmly refused to mow,so I decided to dismantle it.修完后割草机还是纹丝不动，于是，我决定把它拆开。

20 caveats   

警告

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling. 为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。 来自辞典例句
• As I have written before, that's quite a caveat. 正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。 来自互联网

21 constricted   

adj.抑制的，约束的

参考例句：

• Her throat constricted and she swallowed hard. 她喉咙发紧，使劲地咽了一下唾沫。
• The tight collar constricted his neck. 紧领子勒着他的脖子。

22 dismantling   

（枪支）分解

参考例句：

• The new government set about dismantling their predecessors' legislation. 新政府正着手废除其前任所制定的法律。
• The dismantling of a nuclear reprocessing plant caused a leak of radioactivity yesterday. 昨天拆除核后处理工厂引起了放射物泄漏。

23 concessions   

n.（尤指由政府或雇主给予的）特许权( concession的名词复数 )；承认；减价；（在某地的）特许经营权

参考例句：

• The firm will be forced to make concessions if it wants to avoid a strike. 要想避免罢工，公司将不得不作出一些让步。
• The concessions did little to placate the students. 让步根本未能平息学生的愤怒。

24 iota   

n.些微，一点儿

参考例句：

• There is not an iota of truth in his story.他的故事没有一点是真的。
• He's never shown an iota of interest in any kind of work.他从来没有对任何工作表现出一点儿兴趣。

25 incremental   

adj.增加的

参考例句：

• For logic devices, the incremental current gain is very important. 对于逻辑器件来说，提高电流增益是非常重要的。 来自辞典例句
• By using an incremental approach, the problems involving material or geometric nonlinearity have been solved. 借应用一种增量方法，已经解决了包括材料的或几何的非线性问题。 来自辞典例句