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Title: A self-inflicted wound: The budget battle and America's reputation Posted By Stephen M. Walt
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Published: Jul 27, 2011
Author: http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011
Post Date: 2011-07-27 09:32:56 by tom007
Keywords: None
Views: 64
Comments: 4
A self-inflicted wound: The budget battle and America's reputation Posted By Stephen M. Walt Tuesday, July 26, 2011 - 12:30 PM Share Remember the 1990s? Back in those days, the U.S. was recognized as the world's sole superpower. Our economy was booming, we ended the decade with a budget surplus, and there was a widespread sense around the world that the United States really had its act together. True, we had some pretty bitter partisan politics, misguided polices like "dual containment" were helping pave the way for 9/11, and corrupt financiers were busy sowing the seeds for the 2007 meltdown, but most of the world had the impression -- rightly or wrongly -- that the United States knew what it was doing. People like Tom Friedman extolled America's virtues in books like The Lexus and the Olive Tree, arguing that the rest of the world would have to embrace "DOS.Capitalism 6.0" (in other words, our system), or fall by the wayside. Overall, a powerful aura of competence enhanced U.S. influence and magnified our "hard power." Fast forward to right now. We are on the brink of a major self-inflicted wound, driven solely by the deep dysfunction that now seems baked into our political system. Why should Pakistanis, Afghanis, Europeans, Chinese, Thais, Mexicans, Venezuelans, or anybody else take our advice on how to govern, when they watch the sorry set of ignorant clowns who are holding the rest of us hostage? If the worst case happens and the United States ends up defaulting, the economic costs will be significant enough. But it is also likely to do considerable damage to America's reputation for being a reasonably well-governed society, and it will accelerate the tendency for people around the world to look elsewhere for guidance. And while all this time and attention has been wasted on the debt ceiling, other problems are festering and will be there to bite us later. I wonder if all those "patriots" in the Tea Party and the GOP ever thought about that. And if they did, would they even care?
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#1. To: All (#0)
From the site: America's decline 1. I can confidently say from reading Tea Party comments on stories in the Daily Telegraph (UK) that most of them are very ignorant of relevant facts and confused about the world around them. One regrets having to call them stupid, perhaps "uneducated" would be better, but they definitely give that impression. So any hope that they will "think" about Walt's points is quite vain, in my view. (Because the Telegraph features right wing pundits on its pages it tends to attract American reactionaries to comment.) 2. I have wondered when the US began to lose its collective mind. I cannot, obviously, prove it; but I suspect that the psychological trauma of 9/11 really unhinged many Americans. Used to the idea that the US was immune from outside attack, when that myth was exploded, the public in general lost its bearings. And of course the neocon use of that confusion to lie us into the Iraq war only compounded the damage. The ease with which lies worked to stir up war fervor told the extreme right wing that it was not difficult to addle the public brain and it has used the Tea Party very effectively to do that in domestic affairs. This preposterous attempt now at blackmail re the debt limit to protect ridiculously low tax rates on the rich is a clear result. How it will turn out is not clear. I cannot think it will have any good result.
Warfare and welfare (of all stripes) will reduce the empire to ashes.
Break the Conventions - Keep the Commandments - G.K.Chesterson Why should we want them to?
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
I wonder if all those "patriots" in the Tea Party and the GOP ever thought about that. And if they did, would they even care? Tea Partiers don't believe the U.S. is well-governed, and they're right about that. Why should they want the rest of the world to believe a lie?
"Mr. Prime Minister, there is only one important question facing us, and that is the question whether the white race will survive." -- Leonid Brezhnev to James Callahan
"Satan / Cheney in "08" 
#2. To: tom007 (#1)
#3. To: tom007 (#0)
Why should Pakistanis, Afghanis, Europeans, Chinese, Thais, Mexicans, Venezuelans, or anybody else take our advice on how to govern,
#4. To: tom007 (#0)
But it is also likely to do considerable damage to America's reputation for being a reasonably well-governed society, and it will accelerate the tendency for people around the world to look elsewhere for guidance. And while all this time and attention has been wasted on the debt ceiling, other problems are festering and will be there to bite us later.
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