The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
The new disorder at sea and the limits of American sea power
English Summary
The article argues that American sea power faces limits not from singular crises, but from persistent "maritime disorder," a condition driven by three overlapping factors: coercive disruption, structural misalignment favoring China's industrial dominance, and systemic vulnerabilities in global infrastructure. These disorders are mutually reinforcing, eroding the underlying security of critical maritime chokepoints and supply chains. Consequently, simply rebuilding the fleet is insufficient; policy must shift from managing discrete crises to developing a comprehensive strategic framework that treats maritime disorder as a continuous operational reality. Failure to adopt this holistic approach risks allowing China to gain advantage in an increasingly contested global commons.
中文摘要
本文論述美國海權面臨的限制，並非源於單一危機，而是來自持續性的「海洋失序」。這種狀態由三個重疊因素所驅動：強制性擾動、結構性偏差（有利於中國的產業主導地位），以及全球基礎設施系統性的脆弱點。這些失序因素是相互強化的，正在侵蝕關鍵海域要衝和供應鏈的根本安全。因此，單純重建艦隊是不夠的；政策必須從管理個別危機轉向制定一套全面的戰略框架，將海洋失序視為一種持續運營的現實狀態。若未能採取這種整體性方法，美國恐會讓中國在日益競爭的全球公域中獲得優勢。
Related Entries
-
1.
-
2.
The article argues that Donald Trump's unique and prolonged lame-duck period, coupled with domestic political pressures, makes him dangerously prone to international instability. Having exhausted major diplomatic gambits, Trump is expected to channel his energy into high-stakes, unilateral actions, primarily targeting adversaries such as Iran and Cuba. These potential actions—ranging from fresh strikes in the Persian Gulf to attempts at regime change—carry a significant risk of destabilizing regional security and triggering a global economic crisis. Policymakers must anticipate this pivot to high-risk foreign policy to mitigate potential international flare-ups.
-
3.
China's economic strategy is characterized by a persistent 'economics of denial,' prioritizing massive state-directed investment in advanced technology over addressing weak domestic consumption. This approach is rooted in a flawed belief that controlling physical capital will automatically generate productivity and wage growth, ignoring the structural imbalance where domestic demand consistently falls short of supply. This overinvestment and underconsumption model is unsustainable. Consequently, Beijing's policies will continue to generate global deflationary pressures and escalating trade friction, necessitating a fundamental pivot toward consumption-led growth for long-term stability.
-
4.
The publication argues that current efforts to improve the well-being of men and boys of color are too fragmented, failing to account for the structural linkages between systems like education, employment, and criminal justice. It proposes a new, holistic framework that traces how structural conditions flow through multiple domains to measurable outcomes, such as longevity. Key reasoning emphasizes the need to treat 'place' as a fundamental actor and to identify successful communities where these populations are already thriving. Policy implications require shifting away from individual-focused interventions toward developing structural, place-based agendas that address systemic inequities.
-
5.
The Blue Wave signals significant voter frustration with cost of living and inflation, giving Congress a mandate to prioritize affordability and cost-reduction measures. Economically, the rapid build-out of AI data centers is creating localized stress, driving up skilled labor wages and straining resources, while also facing constraints from power grids and potential local regulatory backlash. Policymakers must manage this 'sequencing issue'—addressing rising costs before full productivity gains from AI can materialize—and anticipate shifts in global data center infrastructure as the market matures.