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.
Protest changes policy when communities stay organized
English Summary
The analysis argues that organized community protest remains a critical and proven mechanism for achieving major policy reforms and civil rights advancements, often outpacing slow-moving formal institutions. Evidence demonstrates that sustained pressure from diverse, intersectional coalitions—such as those seen during BLM protests—can force tangible changes in areas like policing practices and public opinion. However, the effectiveness of this process is highly dependent on institutional support; reform requires not just protest but also continuous community organizing and lobbying. Policymatively, maintaining democratic function necessitates protecting civic infrastructure (e.g., funding for CBOs), restoring full voting rights protections, and mandating inclusive civic education to prevent the erosion of collective action.
中文摘要
本分析認為，有組織的社區抗議行動仍是實現重大政策改革和公民權利進步的關鍵且經證實的機制，其推動速度往往快於反應遲緩的正式制度。證據顯示，來自多元、交織性（intersectional）聯盟的持續壓力——例如在黑人生命運動（BLM）抗議期間所見到的情況——能夠迫使警務實踐和公眾輿論等領域產生具體改變。然而，此過程的有效性高度依賴制度性的支持；改革不僅需要抗議行動，更需要持續的社區組織工作與遊說努力。從政策層面來看，維持民主功能必須保護公民基礎設施（例如為非政府組織提供資金），恢復完整的投票權保障，並強制推行包容性的公民教育，以防止集體行動能力的侵蝕。
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