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Secretary of State John Kerry has warned that the greatest risk to the United States was its own dysfunction as he pleaded for no repeat of a government shutdown.
Kerry yesterday said that the two-week paralysis triggered by lawmakers of the rival Republican Party had set back vital government functions and also cut into the credibility of the United States.
Speaking after a month traveling through Asia and Europe, Kerry said what he saw should serve as a "stern warning" for Congress to avoid a similar shutdown when the debt ceiling next approaches in February.
"Make no mistake, the greatest danger to America doesn't come from a rising rival, it comes from the damage that we're capable of doing by our own dysfunction and the risks that will arise in a world that may see restrained or limited American leadership as a result," Kerry said.
Kerry, addressing the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said that the shutdown "didn't impress anyone about the power of America's example."
"It has entered into the calculation of leaders, as we negotiate with Iran, as we negotiate with the Middle East peace process and Israel -- can we be counted on?" Kerry said.
Kerry said that the shutdown delayed security aid to Israel -- a popular cause for both Republican and Democratic lawmakers -- and also held up work on everything from scientific research to trade negotiations.
"The shutdown didn't just shutter the Statue of Liberty -- it temporarily closed the doors to refugees and students who were seeking visas to learn here and to contribute to our economy," he said.
Echoing a frequent refrain of US leaders, Kerry insisted that the United States remained the "indispensable partner" in addressing the world's challenges.
"There is no arrogance in saying that," he said.
"I know there are some Americans who don't care how the world sees us, but in an integrated world -- a genie that no politican can put back into any bottle -- we have lost the luxury of looking only inward," he said.
Republican lawmakers of the right-wing populist Tea Party movement championed the shutdown, which nearly led to a US government default, in a bid to force President Barack Obama to change his signature reform of expanding health care coverage.
