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AFTER weeks of partisan bickering, a limited deal that allows the US to climb back up the "fiscal cliff" has been belatedly approved by Congress.

The legislative agreement rolls back much of the US’s tax increases and delays cutbacks to US government agencies and departments such as the Pentagon, scheduled from this week. It is a partial victory for President Barack Obama, but the tortuous nature of the negotiations has already served an early warning to him — political polarisation and gridlock in Washington look set to intensify during his second term.