Nikkei

Description

White House staff, including Leo and Bartlet, reference the Nikkei as a major international stock market index about to open. They invoke its timing to justify withholding details on Air Force One's landing-gear malfunction, aiming to prevent global financial disruption. This external pressure shapes U.S. crisis communication, prioritizing market stability over immediate transparency during mechanical and geopolitical emergencies.

Event Involvements

Events with structured involvement data

2 events
S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Landing‑Gear Light — Quiet Damage Control

The Nikkei (representing international markets) is invoked as an external stakeholder whose imminent opening increases incentive to suppress alarming news; market timing shapes the White House's messaging choices.

Active Representation

Indirect influence cited as a reason to avoid public disclosure.

Power Dynamics

Market pressure constrains political communication; financial markets hold power to penalize perceived instability.

Institutional Impact

Markets function as an external arbiter that can compel secrecy and timing decisions, revealing the interaction between economic systems and executive transparency.

Internal Dynamics

Not applicable internally, but exerts pressure that affects intra-White House choices.

Organizational Goals
Preserve stability in global markets by avoiding shocks. React to news when markets are ready to absorb it with minimal disruption.
Influence Mechanisms
Economic consequences that shape political risk assessment Timing of market openings influencing information-release decisions
S4E19 · Angel Maintenance
Kuhndu Revelation Forces a Second Crisis

The Nikkei (international market) is invoked as an external stakeholder that motivates C.J.'s and staff's initial secrecy about Air Force One's problem; its impending open helps explain the administration's preference for controlled disclosure.

Active Representation

Referenced as a market-timing constraint rather than an active party in the scene.

Power Dynamics

Exerts indirect power by shaping administration communications strategy out of concern for financial stability.

Institutional Impact

The Nikkei's looming open compresses the administration's willingness to disclose sensitive operational details, revealing the interplay between economic forces and political transparency.

Internal Dynamics

External market pressures create internal tensions between public transparency and institutional risk management.

Organizational Goals
avoid unnecessary market panic from reported presidential vulnerability preserve global financial confidence by minimizing sensational disclosures
Influence Mechanisms
market reaction expectations economic leverage influencing political messaging decisions