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.
America at 250: Nixon Goes to China, With Jeremi Suri
English Summary
This CFR podcast examines President Nixon's historic 1972 visit to China, arguing it was a strategically consequential move that exploited the Sino-Soviet split to give the United States leverage over Moscow, reduced Chinese support for North Vietnam, and began a fundamental shift in American attitudes toward China from ideological adversary to potential partner. Historian Jeremi Suri highlights that the opening was possible because both sides had converging interests—Nixon sought to outmaneuver the Soviet Union while Mao faced border tensions with Moscow and domestic instability from the Cultural Revolution—and was executed through extraordinary White House secrecy bypassing the State Department. The episode draws lessons for today: the U.S. benefits from engaging adversaries diplomatically rather than relying on non-recognition, but the costs of excluding career diplomats and allied governments from the process—as seen in Japan's shock at the announcement—underscore that dramatic personal diplomacy without institutional follow-through can delay substantive outcomes and damage alliances.
中文摘要
這期 CFR Podcast 探討尼克森總統 1972 年歷史性訪華之行，認為此舉具有深遠的戰略意義：利用中蘇分裂為美國取得對莫斯科的槓桿優勢、削弱中國對北越的支持，並開啟美國對華態度從意識形態對手轉向潛在合作夥伴的根本性轉變。歷史學家 Jeremi Suri 指出，這次破冰之所以可能，在於雙方利益趨於一致——尼克森意圖在戰略上超越蘇聯，而毛澤東則面臨中蘇邊境緊張及文化大革命帶來的國內動盪——且整個過程透過白宮繞過國務院的高度機密方式執行。本集為當今提供啟示：美國透過外交途徑與對手接觸較之不承認政策更為有利，但將職業外交官及盟國政府排除在決策過程之外的代價——如日本對此消息的震驚所示——凸顯出缺乏制度性後續跟進的戲劇性個人外交，可能延誤實質成果並損害盟友關係。
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