By Daniel DePetris
The late Madeleine Albright, a former U.S. ambassador and secretary of state, once referred to the United States as the “indispensable nation.” This catchy phrase has been invoked by U.S. politicians and analysts ever since, nearly a quarter century after it was first uttered.
The U.S., however, can be a quite self-centered nation too. Americans witnessed this during the multiday saga last week on the floor of the House of Representatives as Republican lawmakers fought among themselves over who deserved the speakership. Kevin McCarthy eventually claimed the gavel on the 15th vote in the middle of the night.
Americans also read and watched this narcissism play out in the commentary dissecting the speakership vote.
If you didn’t know any better, you would think the chaos that played out on the House floor dragged the U.S. into a less advantageous position in the world. America’s allies and adversaries, we have been told, are watching — and the conclusion they were making was that America’s institutional foundations were rotting from within. “It’s a disgrace,” U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts told Boston Public Radio about the speaker vote. “The world is watching, and this is simply dysfunctional.” David Jolly, a former congressman from Florida and an MSNBC contributor, offered a similar analysis: “We have one chamber of our bicameral legislature that is now not functioning. That creates an image of instability across the world stage.” Jan-Werner Mueller, a columnist for The Guardian, went as far as to suggest that autocrats around the world were feeling a sense of comfort over the tumult in the House.
This piece was originally published in The Chicago Tribune on January 9, 2023. Read more HERE.