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.
Autocracy 2.0: How China’s Rise Reinvented Tyranny
English Summary
The article argues that China's rise demonstrates that authoritarian regimes can achieve technological dynamism and sustained growth through a model termed "smart authoritarianism." This success is attributed not to high GDP per capita, but to robust economic capacity, including strong human capital, infrastructure, and state-directed industrial policy. By selectively relaxing political control to foster innovation, China has become a genuine global competitor to the United States. Policymakers must recognize that this state-guided development model presents a powerful and attractive alternative to traditional Western economic structures.
中文摘要
本文論述中國的崛起證明了威權政權可以透過一種名為「智慧威權主義」（smart authoritarianism）的模式，實現技術動能和持續增長。其成功並非歸因於高人均GDP，而是源於強勁的經濟實力，包括穩健的人力資本、基礎設施，以及國家主導的產業政策。透過選擇性放寬政治控制以促進創新，中國已成為美國真正的全球競爭對手。政策制定者必須認識到，這種國家引導的發展模式，為傳統西方經濟結構提供了一個強大且具吸引力的替代方案。
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