Modified Strategy: Bleed America

The Great Seal of the United States

The world followed the latest American showdown, better known as the Shut-Down. George Friedman, in "The Roots of the Government Shutdown", summarised the origins of the showdown as follows:

"It originated in a political dispute. U.S. President Barack Obama proposed and Congress approved a massive set of changes in U.S. health care. These changes were upheld in court after legal challenges. There appears to be significant opposition to this legislation according to polls, but the legislation's opponents in Congress lack the ability to repeal it and override a presidential veto. Therefore, opponents attached amendments to legislation funding government operations, and basically said that legislation would only be passed if implementation of health care reform were blocked or at least delayed. Opponents of health care reform had enough power to block legislation on funding the government. Proponents of health care reform refused to abandon their commitment for reform, and therefore the legislation to fund the government failed and the government shut down."

Fortunately, the showdown is over and civil servants are back to work. However (and since America incurs the risk of having another tasteless political show in January), I would like to turn my attention to the elements that started the crisis...who are they; what are their real intentions; but above all, who paid them to set up this show and try to bring America to its knees?

Many Tea Party, and even some pseudo-conservative, elements are tearing the Republican Party apart and alienating proper Conservative people. The things those elements say (e.g. President Obama is not American; he is a Muslim; he is an infiltrated Muslim Brotherhood agent - without any proof whatsoever - etc) are simply absurd. I used to think they were racists; but now I realise it is not about racism at all (since it is all too staged to be true), it is about grabbing an opportunity to abuse the American democratic process and, in a coup de grâce, put the commander-in-chief down.

The world is upset with America right now. It accuses her of having been irresponsible and holding the globe's economy hostage, once again. The US' main opponents started to suggest that if America can't lead the world any longer, she should just step aside and let others get the job done.
What would happen if America would lose its position as a Global Power, over its constant political crises? To start with, Russia and China would vie for the position; then given their usual diplomatic stance, theocratic opportunists would be at ease to implement their ultimate Plan.
There are more ways than one to skin a cat...

The American Shut-down made me recall Ayman al-Zawahiri's words:

"We must bleed America economically (...). America's weak spot is its economy, which began to totter from the drain of its military and security expenditure,"