The Day After Shutdown

America’s greatest challenge only comes to light now the shutdown is over.

The United States of America, considered by many to be one of the greatest examples of Western democracy, has been in shutdown for over two weeks. In this time, America’s global standing has certainly been undermined each day with its allies, whilst its enemies have looked on in a mocking triumph, as if this is the proof of everything wrong with the American way of life.

Dysfunction within a nation considered a bastion of power and democracy is always going to challenge international relations, but, more so than ever before, this government shutdown has reeked of ego massaging, in a scenario akin to a child walking away from his team because they’re losing a game. Reopening the house is now a mammoth and multifaceted problem.

Paralysis in the US means that other nations have learnt their own power. State Department deputy spokeswoman, Marie Harf, blasted what she called a “damaging” shutdown that “negatively impacts [US] standing abroad.”

Council on Foreign Relations president, Richard Haass, mimicked the sentiment, expanding that “This sends a message to allies that they're somewhat on their own.”

Indeed, you would be forgiven for forgetting the trouble across the pond. Following the initial week of turbulence, the shutdown seems largely disappeared from our news channels. With little action for negotiation on either side, the rest of the world could hardly wait around for America to splutter and kick start its way back to life.

In 1995, the last government shutdown, the economy was better equipped to deal with this sort of mass reduction in activity. Now, the economy is volatile.

Consequently, resolve within the American government, however, ushers in a new series of crises waiting to befall what appears an ailing regime of democracy.

Cancelling his important trip to Asia, with the intent of fostering better Chinese-American relations, Obama has allowed China to expand its global influence. The long planned trip was cut immediately to attend to the American crisis; a crisis fuelled and fired from the inside, on an issue triply settled in Congress, the courts and ballot.

The budget battle seriously risked sending the world into another recession, should the US default on its debts. This would provide China with grounds to claim that the US Dollar is not a secure currency, and to switch internationally to the Yuan, creating inflation in the US and leaving China able to manipulate exchange rates. China has a heaven sent opportunity to portray itself as the image of stability once peddled by US citizens.

Reopening government will be haunted by questions not only of reliability, but efficiency and how effective America is as a world power.

Not too long ago, America was the flexing power by which Syria was a crisis that would soon be resolved. Instead, the state now appears hypocritical at best for not even being able to hold control of its own house. Iran’s nuclear programme, one of the most controversial aspects of news, is legitimised by the US shutdown: how can one country in a turbulent period comment on another’s right for nuclear power?

The ramifications are more than economic and political then: they shake the very foundations of opinion on Western democracy and its impact. Russian President Vladimir Putin has expressed his disappointment at not being able to meet with Obama over these key international issues that have been played out on a world stage for the past year. His spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said, “There is a great need in our bilateral relations for a dialogue at the highest level.” Yet the only dialogue is that of the Russians.

Ironically, not only does this strengthen the Russian position, but seriously gives credence to those who believe the Russian President is a viable candidate to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This nomination the result of what is now viewed the most effective plan to initiate peace in Syria, spearheaded by Russia alone during shutdown.

Uncle Sam awakes to find a nation not only questioning its own importance, but one that has shot itself, and is now bleeding internally. It will be a slow and painful process to recover, but never heal fully. Being held to ransom by its own government, the US continues to lose money every day with hundreds of thousands of people out of work, tourism and national monument sites closed, and Head State funded programmes cancelled without notice, as it slowly hits restart. Not only will this be an international debacle, but a case of national humiliation. Americans will need to learn to have faith and trust in their own system again. When controversial popstar Miley Cyrus manages to mock the shutdown with panache, one wonders whether the people responsible realise the true extent of the extravagant spectacle.

What ‘Obamacare’ is highlighting is a chronic condition: an illness with little chance of treatment. Raising the debt ceiling and reopening the government isn’t the last of the turbulent American issues: it just kicks a proverbial can of worms a few months further down the line. This is a disease that has become malignant.

The latest poll suggests that almost three quarters of American’s leave the blame with the Republican Party. Essentially, the minority are trying to gain the upperhand through a form of extortion, and Obama is not willing to give into that. So, as government is reopened, the logical solution would be to pass an amendment to stop such petty squabbles crippling the US in future.

Well, this is where America comes to its ultimate Catch 22. This is the nation that declares itself the land of the free. This is the nation of modern democracy. To change the freedom enjoyed by Americans in the House is to admit that the system was wrong. It is unlikely that the government will risk this ultimate humiliation. Ideologically and, more importantly, in all practicality, this is a battle for freedom of speech that neither side can win.