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 Fed Is Working on a CBDC, Despite Executive Order
English Summary
Despite a presidential executive order attempting to halt development, the Federal Reserve appears to be advancing a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) through participation in Project Agorá. This initiative utilizes tokenization on a shared ledger for cross-border payments, effectively creating a wholesale CBDC by tokenizing central bank reserves and commercial deposits. By framing this effort as a 'technical upgrade' involving 'tokenized reserves,' the Fed is attempting to navigate legal loopholes and bypass political opposition associated with the term CBDC. This suggests that advanced digital currency development may proceed through technical workarounds, requiring increased scrutiny from Congress regarding compliance and policy intent.
中文摘要
儘管總統行政命令試圖叫停發展，聯邦儲備系統（Fed）似乎正透過參與「阿哥拉專案」（Project Agorá），推動中央銀行數位貨幣（CBDC）。該計畫利用共享帳本進行代幣化，以實現跨境支付，本質上是透過將中央銀行準備金和商業存款代幣化，創建了批發型央行數位貨幣。聯準會藉由將此努力定調為涉及「代幣化準備金」的「技術升級」，試圖規避法律漏洞並繞過與CBDC一詞相關的政治阻力。這表明先進數位貨幣的發展可能透過技術性規避方式進行，要求國會對其合規性和政策意圖提出更嚴格的審查。
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.
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.
-
4.
The built environment workforce, comprising 15.3 million workers across 95 occupations, is foundational to modern infrastructure and economic stability. While highly paid, the workforce suffers from significant demographic imbalances, being disproportionately white and male, and often lacking clear career progression pathways. To prevent project delays and cost overruns, policy must mandate that capital asset owners treat labor market forecasting as core to project planning. Strategic interventions are required to strengthen career pipelines through robust apprenticeships, improve retention, and actively recruit younger and more diverse workers.
-
5.
The U.S. is drastically reducing core funding to multilateral institutions, withdrawing from numerous bodies due to perceived misalignment with national interests. While multilateral channels offer critical advantages—such as pooling resources for global public goods and managing risk in fragile settings—the U.S.'s funding remains heavily 'earmarked,' which effectively 'bilateralizes' the system and undermines shared burden-sharing. This practice, coupled with deep cuts, diminishes the multilateral system's effectiveness and efficiency, particularly in humanitarian aid. Policy recommendations suggest the U.S. must adopt a systematic, published strategy for aid channel choice and shift from restrictive project-level earmarking to broader thematic funding to restore global cooperation.