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.
Trump asked questions of Iran when he did not know the answers. Now he must pay the price
English Summary
The article argues that US military intervention against Iran was a strategic failure, as the regime adopted a 'nothing to lose' approach, successfully escalating conflict and re-establishing regional leverage despite temporary ceasefires. While a fragile Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been reached regarding the Strait of Hormuz, it addresses only immediate concerns and fails to resolve critical outstanding issues, such as Iran’s nuclear stockpile or proxy support. Strategically, US policy is now heavily influenced by domestic political cycles and economic stability, suggesting that long-term geopolitical goals are being subordinated to short-term political expediency. This leaves the Middle East highly volatile, with the current ceasefire extension providing little guarantee of lasting peace.
中文摘要
本文論述美國對伊朗的軍事干預是一場戰略失敗，因為該政權採取了「不計後果」的方針，成功升級了衝突並重新確立了區域影響力，即使在臨時停火的情況下亦是如此。儘管就霍爾木茲海峽達成了一份脆弱的《理解備忘錄》（MoU），但其僅解決了眼前的即時問題，未能解決伊朗的核武庫存或代理人支援等關鍵未決議題。從戰略角度來看，美國的政策現在受到國內政治週期和經濟穩定性的高度影響，這表明長期的地緣政治目標正在讓步於短期的政治權宜之計。這使得中東地區極度動盪，而目前的停火延長對持久和平幾乎無法提供任何保證。
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