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Displaced people in eastern Libya outside the town of Ajdabiya

Army Spc. Luz Natalia Gonzalez enters a vehicle after conducting security operations outside a police station in Kirkuk, Iraq, July 31, 2011.

Anti-government protesters in Yemen

President Sirleaf election poster

For generations, the United States and its debt — sold in the form of U.S. Treasuries — have been synonymous with safety. Now, though, the nation's sterling credit is tarnished. The ratings agency Standard & Poor's has downgraded the U.S. from AAA to AA-plus, one notch down. The downgrade has raised big questions about what this will mean for investors and for the nation as a whole.

The spread of arms has fuelled the violence

President Barack Obama speaks with members of his Cabinet during a meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Aug. 3, 2011. Pictured with the President are Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, left, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, right.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden meet the Democratic leadership in the Oval Office to discuss ongoing efforts to find a balanced approach to the debt limit and deficit reduction, July 21, 2011. Pictured, from left, are: Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Army 1st Sgt. Thomas Walsh shakes hands with a village leader during the provincial governor’s community meeting at the Terezayi district center in Afghanistan’s Khost province, July 21, 2011.