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.
Iran's protests: Will this time be different?
English Summary
Chatham House argues that the late-2025 protest wave in Iran is more structurally consequential than episodic unrest because economic collapse has fused with broader political grievances and demands for systemic change. The event framing highlights sustained nationwide mobilization despite repression, internet blackouts, and security crackdowns, suggesting deeper legitimacy erosion rather than short-term discontent. It also points to protest demographics and persistence as key indicators that the Islamic Republic’s coercive tools may restore control only temporarily. For policymakers, this implies planning for prolonged instability in Iran, calibrating external pressure and messaging carefully, and assessing second-order regional effects involving US and Israeli strategy.
中文摘要
查塔姆研究所（Chatham House）主張，伊朗在2025年末爆發的抗議浪潮，相較於間歇性動亂，具有更深層的結構性後果，因為經濟崩潰已與更廣泛的政治不滿及體制性變革訴求相互融合。事件框架強調，即使面臨鎮壓、網路斷線與安全部門強力清剿，全國性動員仍持續，顯示這更可能是政權正當性更深層侵蝕，而非短期不滿。該分析亦指出，抗議者的人口結構與持續性是關鍵指標，顯示伊斯蘭共和國的強制工具即使能恢復控制，也可能僅屬暫時。對政策制定者而言，這意味著需為伊朗長期不穩定預作規劃，審慎校準外部施壓與訊息傳遞，並評估牽涉美國與以色列戰略的第二層區域效應。
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