Obama Cancels Asia Trip Due to Government Shutdown: The Costs of Not Showing Up

[BDBoop]

Obama Cancels Asia Trip Due to Government Shutdown: The Costs of Not Showing Up | Brookings Institution

Perhaps the greatest damage, though, was to the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations. These are the most important trade negotiations of the Obama presidency in Asia, and the president had personally committed to wrap them up by the end of 2013. His no-show sacrificed the momentum toward that goal.

The United States is asking all countries to make the necessary but painful concessions to get the TPP negotiations over the finish line. Many national leaders in turn counted on being able to cite pressure from Obama this week to help them convince their own domestic opponents of the need to bend. And there is some feeling in the region that Obama in turn needed the momentum from the Asia trip to help convince the Congress to give him Trade Promotion Authority vital to a successful negotiation.

Obama’s cancellation threw all of this awry. Malaysia’s ire is even greater because Obama also canceled a planned stop there; Indonesia has had to swallow the third cancellation of an Obama visit to the land where he spent part of his childhood; and the Philippines is deeply disappointed that Obama canceled his planned stop there while Manila is embroiled in a territorial dispute with China.

President Obama’s famed re-balance toward Asia depends on both American actions and U.S. credibility as to its future capability and staying power. Having domestic dysfunction keep President Obama at home trying to reopen the government and to prevent the U.S. from defaulting on its national debt has sent a profoundly damaging message to the region. The resulting picture of regional leaders with Xi Jinping in the center and Secretary Kerry on the far margin highlights the resulting cost of this terrible situation, but even President Xi cannot be happy about the prospect that America may not be counted on to contribute effectively to regional stability and prosperity.

Not everything is obvious to us in this shutdown. People can continue to minimize it, say it's not that big a deal, laugh it off - but it is. It IS 'that big a deal.'

And we are dropping the ball in a spectacular fashion as far as America showing the rest of the world that Democracy works.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

The shutdown didn't keep him from going, the way he presented the shutdown as an economic disaster did. If he hadn't spent so much time scaremongering in an attempt to preemptively win the debate he could have gone.

 

[HenryBHough]

At least three Asian golf courses will go out of business because He cowered at home.

 

[rightwinger]

The price we pay for a Republucan temper tantrum

 

[HenryBHough]

And currency that is worth less every day that passes is our reward for electing a Marxist.

 

[Unkotare]

Maybe obama and the rest of the democrats should have thought of all this before deciding to 'shut down' the government.

 

[HenryBHough]

Maybe obama and the rest of the democrats should have thought of all this before deciding to 'shut down' the government.

Can't blame them.

They'd have had to surrender their Party Credentials has they thought.