Post #147

Foreign diplomats are aghast that so many U.S. leaders let their zeal for partisan politics prevent the basic functions of government. It’s a major topic of conversations at their private dinners and gatherings, according to conversations with a dozen current and former diplomats. Many of these conversations wouldn’t have happened a few months ago.There are rules, traditions and pragmatic concerns that discourage foreign diplomats from commenting on the internal politics of another country. (One rare exception: some spoke out on America’s astonishing 2016 election.) But the contours of this year’s presidential campaign, a Congress that can barely choose a House speaker or keep the government open, and, perhaps above all, the U.S. debate on military aid for Ukraine have led some diplomats to drop their inhibitions. And while they were often hesitant to name one party as the bigger culprit, many of the examples they pointed to involved Republican members of Congress. Current and former diplomats said their countries are more reluctant to sign deals with Washington because of the partisan divide. There’s worry that a new administration will abandon past agreements to appease rowdy electoral bases and not for legitimate national security reasons. And while Russia’s diplomats delight in the U.S. chaos — and fan it — the world’s envoys are now reconsidering how their governments can deal with this America for many years and presidents to come.