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.
The Power of Grievance
English Summary
The article argues that the success of democratic capitalism, while initially leading to new democracies (particularly in Central and Eastern Europe), is inherently unstable. This triumph eventually gives way to widespread dissatisfaction and grievance, creating fertile ground for the re-emergence of authoritarian regimes. This cycle poses a critical threat, potentially plunging both democratic systems and global capitalist structures into a terminal crisis, mirroring historical patterns like the interwar period. Policymakers must recognize that stability is not guaranteed by victory, requiring strategic planning to mitigate the inevitable backlash against perceived foreign or economic dominance.
中文摘要
本文論述，民主資本主義的成功，雖然初期曾促成新的民主政體（特別是在中東歐地區），但其本質上是不穩定的。這種輝煌最終會讓位給普遍的不滿與怨氣，從而為威權政權的再興提供了沃土。這種循環構成了嚴峻的威脅，可能將民主體系和全球資本主義結構一同推入終局性危機，其模式令人聯想到戰間期。政策制定者必須認識到，穩定性並非由勝利所保證，因此需要進行戰略規劃，以緩解針對感知到的外來或經濟支配地位所產生的必然反彈。
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