As the U.S. political crisis and government shutdown move into a second week, there is growing concern about how the stalemate could damage the U.S. image around the world.

美国的政治危机和政府关闭已经进入第二个星期。越来越多的人开始担心，这种政治僵局会损害美国的国际形象。

House Speaker John Boehner declares, “it’s time for us to just sit down and resolve our differences,” while Obama replies, "we can't make extortion routine in our democracy." The bickering over the government shutdown shows no signs of letting up.

Now, another dangerous deadline looms: October 17th, when Congress must raise the U.S. borrowing limit or put the country on a path to financial default.

有关政府关闭的争吵仍然没有让步的迹象。而现在，又临近另一个危险的期限：10月17日，国会必须提高美国的借债上限，否则，美国将会出现债务违约。

Concern about the global economic impact is spreading, including in London’s financial center.

有关债务违约如何影响全球经济的忧虑在四处弥漫。伦敦的金融中心也无法摆脱这种情绪。

“I think it’s a massive fear that we go into recession again, especially since we are starting to recover from the previous one,” said Oliver Elliot, a student, sounding a common sentiment.

大学生奥利佛·艾略特说：“我认为这完全是两党政治。他们并没有顾及更广泛的影响。”

Other observers, such as Beverly Thomas, a financial analyst, feel the entire episode is little more than partisanship gone amok. “I think it is really about two-party politics and they are not thinking about the wider implications.”

金融中心分析师贝佛丽·托马斯说：“我认为我们对再度滑入危机有着巨大的恐惧感，特别是发生在我们开始从上一个危机中复苏的时候。”

Although the city has always had a certain amount of disagreement, the level of dysfunction in Washington today is so bad it is undermining the U.S. abroad, claims James Lindsay of the Council on Foreign Relations.

外交关系委员会的专家詹姆斯·林赛指出，华盛顿出现的功能障碍正在损害美国在海外的利益。

“I think it raises real questions in the mind of many foreign publics, many foreign leaders about whether the United States is a country that can be counted on,” said Lindsay.

林赛说：“我认为这让许多国家的公众、外国领导人产生疑问：美国是不是一个值得信赖的国家？”

President Barack Obama cancelled his trip to the Asia-Pacific summit in Indonesia because of the U.S. government shutdown, and sent Secretary of State John Kerry in his place.

由于美国政府关闭，奥巴马总统取消了他前往印度尼西亚参加亚太国家峰会的行程，而是派国务卿克里代表他出席峰会。

“I want you all to know that in 2004, obviously, I worked very, very hard to replace a president. This is not what I had in mind,” joked Kerry during his remarks, referencing his failed bid for the White House against George W. Bush.

克里开玩笑说：“我想让每个人都知道，2004年的时候，我曾全力以赴竞选总统，当时可绝对不是想作为国务卿来这里的。”

The president’s decision to stay at home disappointed Asian leaders, noted Lindsay.

詹姆斯·林赛说，奥巴马取消行程的决定让亚洲的领导人感到失望。

“I think it sends troubling signals in the region because Asian leaders look up and wonder is the United States going to be a stalwart ally. Is it really going to be here in Asia for the long term or is America going to be too withdrawn, too insular, too focused on its own particular problems to really play a major role in the region?” wondered Lindsay.

他说：“我认为这向该地区传递出令人不安的信号，因为亚洲的领导人会想，美国会不会是个坚定的盟友。它是不是真的打算留在亚洲，或着说美国会过于独来独往，过于狭隘，过于把注意力集中在自身的具体事务，因而无法在这个地区担当重要角色。”

John Fortier at the Bipartisan Policy Center says the dysfunction on display in Washington shows no signs of easing anytime soon.

两党政策中心的学者约翰·福捷说，还没有迹象能够看得出华盛顿的功能障碍会很快缓解。

“It’s now part of our polarized world to the extent that we have divided government and our parties differ a lot. Some of this is likely to be the new normal,” claimed Fortier.

他说：“这是我们所在的两极化世界的一部分，以至我们的政府分裂，我们的政党分歧很大。这可能已经成为新常态的一部分了。”

If that’s true, the rest of the world will simply make adjustments, according to Lindsay.

詹姆斯·林赛说，如果真是那样的话，外部世界将需要随之做出调整。

“We really run the risk of lurching from one fiscal crisis to another fiscal crisis. That ends up producing a country that can’t invest in its future but it also produces a country that hardly serves as a model that will inspire others,” pointed out Lindsay, making clear the potential implication to American soft power.

他说：“我们的确在冒着从一个财政危机步履蹒跚地走向另一个财政危机的风险。那将会形成一个无法对未来进行投入的国家。但是，它更难以成为一个能够激励其他国家的典范。”

The political fight may be taking place in Washington, but unless it’s resolved soon, the impact could be felt worldwide.

尽管这场政治争斗发生在华盛顿，但是如果不能很快得以解决，其影响将会波及整个世界。