The looming shutdown is more than budget drama. It’s a lever that can rewire power inside Washington, stress‑test U.S. governance, and reshape perceptions abroad. We map the catalysts, explain how a shutdown can operate as a deliberate strategy, outline the incentives to keep it going, and connect the dots to our long‑horizon Scenario 4.
Each September, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) offers leaders a stage to frame their visions of the future. In 2025, the most striking image was not a speech but rows of empty seats. The optics told their own story: the UN’s legitimacy is fading just as the world order itself is fragmenting. A Weakening
