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.
Hungary’s election looms – so does the far right challenge to Europe’s unity
English Summary
Europe faces a critical challenge from a second wave of nationalist populism that seeks to hollow out EU integration from within rather than pursuing an exit strategy. Supported by geopolitical shifts in Russia and the US, these far-right movements have normalized their agendas—particularly regarding migration and climate—within mainstream parties and are increasingly influencing EU-level legislation through deregulatory 'omnibus' packages. The upcoming 2026 elections, starting with Hungary, will determine if Europe can maintain the unity necessary to resist becoming 'easy prey' for foreign spheres of influence or if it will fracture into weakened, competing nationalist states.
中文摘要
歐洲正面臨第二波民族民粹主義帶來的嚴峻挑戰。這股浪潮旨在從內部掏空歐盟一體化，而非採取脫歐策略。在俄羅斯與美國地緣政治變局的推波助瀾下，這些極右翼運動已成功使其議程（特別是移民與氣候政策）在主流政黨中常態化，並透過旨在放寬監管的「綜合性法案」加強對歐盟層級立法的影響力。從匈牙利開始的 2026 年系列選舉，將決定歐洲能否維持必要的團結，以避免淪為外國勢力範圍下任人宰割的對象，或是會崩解為國力衰弱且相互競爭的民族主義國家。
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