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.
Global Inflation Tracker
English Summary
The Global Inflation Tracker indicates that while median global inflation has declined since its 2022 peak, it is now slowly climbing due to persistent services inflation in advanced economies and recent energy price spikes linked to geopolitical conflicts. Key evidence shows that total inflation is highly volatile, with component analysis revealing significant contributions from food and energy prices, which are susceptible to extreme weather or regional instability (e.g., the Iran War). For policymakers, this suggests that generalized monetary tightening may be insufficient; instead, strategies must adopt targeted measures addressing specific inflationary components—such as supply chain bottlenecks or commodity price shocks—to stabilize global economic growth.
中文摘要
全球通膨追蹤器指出，儘管全球中位數通膨率自2022年峰值以來有所下降，但由於先進經濟體持續的服務業通膨以及近期與地緣政治衝突相關的能源價格飆升，通膨率目前正在緩慢回升。關鍵證據顯示，總體通膨具有高度波動性；組成成分分析揭示了食品和能源價格的顯著貢獻，這些價格容易受到極端天氣或區域不穩定因素（例如伊朗戰爭）的影響。對於政策制定者而言，這表明普遍性的貨幣緊縮可能不足夠；相反地，策略必須採取針對特定通膨組件——例如供應鏈瓶頸或商品價格衝擊——的定向措施，以穩定全球經濟增長。
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