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.
A foreign policy for the new Syria
English Summary
Syria’s foreign minister argued that the post-Assad government is pursuing a pragmatic foreign policy centered on international reintegration, regional de-escalation, and reconstruction through investment rather than ideological confrontation. He cited high-level outreach to Washington and London, partial sanctions relief, embassy reactivation, and active diplomacy on files such as chemical weapons, refugee return, and security arrangements with Israel (including reviving the 1974 disengagement framework) as evidence of progress. He also framed internal stabilization efforts, including dialogue with the SDF and investigative mechanisms for sectarian violence, as prerequisites for restoring trust and attracting capital. The strategic implication is that external partners have an opening to shape Syria’s trajectory by pairing economic and diplomatic engagement with clear expectations on inclusivity, accountability, and institutional consolidation to reduce risks of renewed fragmentation and proxy competition.
中文摘要
敘利亞外交部長主張，後阿薩德政府正推動務實的外交路線，核心在於重返國際體系、降低區域緊張，以及以投資帶動重建而非意識形態對抗。他以對華盛頓與倫敦的高層接觸、部分制裁鬆綁、使館功能重啟，以及在化學武器、難民返國與對以色列安全安排（包括重啟1974年脫離接觸框架）等議題上的積極外交，作為進展證據。他並將國內穩定措施——包括與敘利亞民主力量（SDF）對話及建立宗派暴力調查機制——界定為重建信任與吸引資本的前提。其戰略意涵在於：外部夥伴現有機會透過經濟與外交參與，並搭配對包容性、問責性與制度整合的明確期待，來塑造敘利亞走向，降低再度碎片化與代理競爭升高的風險。
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