BEN BLACK is no marine or sailor like those sent by Donald Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. But the American financier may be no less instrumental(起重要作用的) in helping ships pass through the war-torn(饱受战争蹂躏的) waterway. As boss of the International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Mr Black has been tasked with insuring the oil tankers stuck in the Gulf against damage they may sustain(遭受，承受) if they attempt passage.
本·布莱克并非唐纳德·特朗普派去重新开放霍尔木兹海峡的海军陆战队员或水手。但在帮助船只通过这条饱受战火的水道方面，这位美国金融家可能同样不可或缺。作为美国国际开发金融公司（DFC）的负责人，布莱克先生的任务是为困在波斯湾的油轮提供保险，以防它们试图通行时可能遭受的损失。
It is not the DFC's only high-priority mission. Administration officials talk excitedly of its potential role in everything from mining Greenland for critical minerals to rebuilding Cuba. To that end, the DFC is being beefed up from a scrawny(瘦骨嶙峋的，弱小的) federal agency making loans to companies in poor places into the muscular(肌肉发达的，强有力的) new finance arm of Mr Trump's foreign policy. Mr Black's vision is of an "America First" institution, several insiders confirm.
这并非 DFC 唯一的高优先任务。政府官员兴奋地谈论着它的潜在角色，从在格陵兰开采关键矿产到重建古巴，无所不包。为此，DFC 正从一个向贫穷地区企业放贷的瘦弱联邦机构，被强化为特朗普外交政策中肌肉发达的新金融臂膀。几位内部人士证实，布莱克的愿景是建立一个“美国优先”的机构。
The DFC is a product of Mr Trump's first term. The idea then was to fuel growth in the world's poorest countries by lending to companies there at market rates. The bank also offered insurance to intrepid(无畏的，勇敢的) foreign investors that paid out if money was lost to corruption or war. Unlike USAID, an agency Mr Trump gutted(大幅削减，掏空), it picked projects likely to turn a profit, favouring industries like mining where America lags behind China. It was staffed with corporate lawyers and financial analysts rather than aid bureaucrats and development economists. Profits were returned to the government. Annual lending grew during Joe Biden's presidency, from $5bn in 2020 to $12bn in 2024. But most still went to firms working on worthy causes such as poverty alleviation(缓解，减轻) or fighting climate change.
DFC 是特朗普第一任期的产物。当时的想法是通过按市场利率向世界最贫穷国家的公司放贷来促进增长。该银行还为无畏的外国投资者提供保险，如果因腐败或战争损失资金，保险会进行赔付。与特朗普大刀阔斧削减的美国国际开发署（USAID）不同，它挑选可能盈利的项目，偏重采矿等美国落后于中国的行业。其员工是企业律师和金融分析师，而非援助官僚和发展经济学家。利润返还给政府。在乔·拜登总统任期内，年度贷款从2020年的50亿美元增长到2024年的120亿美元。但大部分资金仍流向了从事扶贫或应对气候变化等崇高事业的公司。