Why the US cannot lead on the world stage

A constant criticism of the Obama Administration has been its supposed lack of leadership on foreign affairs.  It is important to remember the world is experiencing great change, especially in the Middle East.  Accordingly, there are a great number of unknowns and shifting issues that must be addressed through novel policy initiatives.  Rapid adaption is a daunting challenge in itself and past Administrations have lagged behind when the US has had greater discretion over what issues we wanted to engage.  

Unfortunately, the Executive Branch, which has traditionally taken on the role of foreign policy advocate for the American People, is far too busy dealing with domestic issues.  The more dysfunctional Congress becomes, the more effort the President must invest in either pushing legislation through the Legislative Branch or trying to unilaterally address internal issues.  Looking at the current government shutdown and the impending Debt Default, President Obama had been scheduled to visit with leaders in Asia as part of a larger effort to bolster diplomatic and economic relationships with key allies.  Meanwhile, the US is also dealing with the Syrian Civil War, the dismantling of the Assad Regime’s chemical weapons arsenal, the stalled Egyptian power transition, Mexico’s ongoing drug war, China’s rise as a superpower, the end of the Afghanistan War, the restarting of the Korean War and so on.  In fact, the United States had started to make progress with Iran on its nuclear ambitions, yet the task has fallen to the European Union with the devil of the details delaying progress. 

Moreover, the US cannot take the lead on world affairs so long as the US Congress continually shuts down when it tries to pass laws that fulfill the most basic responsibilities of government, let alone the backlog of critical issues our representatives have neglected over the years.