A paralyzed superpower: How the world sees the US government shutdown
For many outside the United States, the quirks of American democracy are usually something to scratch one's head over: Why are laws different from one state to another? How is it a presidential candidate can win the most votes but still lose an election? Doesn鈥檛 the filibuster completely pervert the concept of a majority vote?
But when the government overseeing the world鈥檚 largest economy and the world鈥檚 largest military ends up hanging a 鈥淐losed-for-Business鈥� sign, the head-scratching turns to head-shaking and fear of the longer term global consequences of a US government shutdown, never mind a US government default.
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鈥淎 superpower has paralyzed itself,鈥� proclaimed Germany's Der Spiegel Online.
"Americans sneeze and Brits catch the flu,鈥� David Blanchflower, a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee in The Independent, a British newspaper.
The Mexican newspaper The News marveled at the prospect of a government shutdown. US officials "are facing the unthinkable prospect of shutting down the government as they squabble over the inconsequential accomplishment of a 10-week funding extension,鈥� in an editorial.
In commentary published Tuesday under the headline "Jefferson, Wake Up. They Have Become Fools!," the French newspaper Le Monde lesson on the origins of divided US government.
鈥淭his Republic was founded on a majority opinion of centrists from both major parties of the country鈥�,鈥� the paper said. 鈥淥ver the years, this has stalled. American democracy works worse and worse.鈥�
The leftist French newspaper Lib茅ration ran a commentary by editor Nicolas Demorand that said the concept of the French government closing its doors was impossible to imagine. The idea that 鈥樷�榦n a given date, at a specific time, overnight, the state may be partly 鈥榙isconnected鈥� would appear to be unthinkable. Something from science fiction, or simple madness,鈥� .
The Irish Times newspaper tried to draw a parallel between the US government deadlock and an upcoming referendum to abolish the upper house of Parliament in Ireland.
鈥淎nd the deadlocked battle between Congress and president reflects one of the dangers of a system in which rival centres of power, each claiming democratic legitimacy, can hold each other in check 鈥� result , total inertia,鈥� .
In Indonesia, Jakarta鈥檚 two English-language newspapers published articles about the shutdown, which drew commentary from readers such as one identified as: "thought my government is bad, indeed US government is worse. but it's ok at least the civil servants can take on leave without permission from their bosses, relax and enjoy barbeque in the backyard for few weeks."
China's state-run Xinhua news agency warned tourists heading to the US that popular destinations, such as national parks and monuments in Washington, might be closed. The paper avoided any critical editorializing about the US situation.
In Russia, government newspaper Rossisskaya Gazeta鈥檚 : 鈥淭he Elephants Are Robbing the US Government.鈥� Meanwhile, in the newspaper Kommersant, 鈥淭he USA Has Been Left Without a Government鈥� reacted sarcastically to the news of the shutdown:听
鈥淔or the 鈥楪ood鈥� Empire, this sort of clown show is shameful. The debt ceiling of course will be raised, but the USA has unambiguously damaged its image yet again,鈥� a reader named Esergn wrote. 鈥淚t鈥檚 better for Obama to work things out with Congress than trying to start a war in Syria.鈥�
Australian radio personality and film critic Marc Fennell, meanwhile, offered this proposal for how Australians should react to the US government closure:
