What Would It Take To End Stalemate? In U.S. Impasse, Global Concern Over Possible Collateral Damage.

PARIS -- While the debt debacle in Washington preoccupies America, it is causing jitters in power corridors from Beijing to Brussels. The stewards of the world's largest economies are anxious for a compromise, to keep their own finances from suffering collateral damage. Their worries stem from an inescapable reality: for other governments, there is still no good alternative to holding the almighty dollar, or American Treasury securities, even if the United States gets tarnished by a once-unthinkable credit downgrade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]