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Political Dysfunction at Home Erodes US Leadership Abroad

© Flickr / Stephen MelkisethianUnited States Congress
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The US National Security Strategy stated Friday that the US face continued challenges, including political dysfunction in Washington that undermines national unity.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US leadership role in the world is undermined by political dysfunction and polarization in the country, the US National Security Strategy released on Friday stated.

«We [the United States] face continued challenges, including political dysfunction in Washington that undermines national unity, stifles bipartisan cooperation, and ultimately erodes the perception and strength of our leadership abroad," the National Security Strategy read.

The strategy outlined a vision for the United States to lead by example, upholding American values at home, so that they could be better promoted abroad.

“This means safeguarding the civil rights and liberties of our citizens while increasing transparency and accountability. It also means holding ourselves to international norms and standards that we expect other nations to uphold, and admitting when we do not,” the strategy reads.

The US political system has been embroiled by wrangling between Democrats and Republicans in Congress, as well as between US President Barack Obama and Republicans, over a host of issues from immigration reform to the president’s signature universal healthcare law.

Continuing budget battles over funding for the Department of Homeland Security and mandatory spending cuts to the defense budget, known as sequestration, pose a threat to US national security, according to the White House. Meanwhile, the Obama administration and the Republican controlled Congress are in a spat over the Keystone oil pipeline, which would bring Canadian oil to the US Gulf Coast.

A CIA torture report released in December detailed a wide range of practices used by the agency, including waterboarding, mock executions, prolonged sleep deprivation and threats of sexual abuse in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

Human rights groups have called accountability for the torture practices, but the Obama administration has said those who authorized or carried out torture will not be prosecuted. Amnesty International responded to the US Senate report with its own investigation, implicating a number of European governments in secret detentions and torture undertaken by the United States in facilities on European soil.

With a presidential election less than two years away, many analysts expect political polarization to increase as Democrats and Republicans maneuver through a number of hot button political issues.

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