Both houses of Congress appear to be on the road to reopening the government and raising the debt limit before midnight tonight. But the deals will last for only a few weeks. When new deadlines arise, will the US and the rest of the world be faced with the risks of default and dysfunction all over again?
Banner image: U.S. House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) (C) and House Majority Whip Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (R) arrive for a Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, October 15, 2013. A month of combat in the U.S. Congress over government spending showed signs of giving way to a Senate deal to reopen shuttered federal agencies and prevent an economically damaging default on federal debt. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst