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.
Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World: A New Economics for the Middle Class, the Global Poor, and Our Climate
English Summary
The article argues for a "new progressive agenda" that addresses climate change, democratic decline, and poverty by focusing on localized and regional policy experimentation rather than relying on fraught global agreements. Economically, it posits that automation and AI require governments to stabilize the middle class and boost productivity by transitioning workers from manufacturing and agriculture into the service sector. This structural shift is necessary because traditional industrial growth models are unsustainable due to carbon intensity and automation risks. Therefore, policy must prioritize targeted training and investment in service-sector jobs to ensure shared prosperity and strengthen democratic stability.
中文摘要
本文主張推動「新進步議程」，主張應透過在地化和區域性的政策實驗來應對氣候變遷、民主衰退和貧困問題，而非依賴充滿爭議的全球性協定。在經濟層面，文章提出，由於自動化和人工智慧的發展，政府必須穩定中產階級，並透過將勞工從製造業和農業轉向服務業來提升生產力。這種結構性轉型是必要的，因為傳統的工業增長模式因碳強度和自動化風險而難以持續。因此，政策必須優先考慮針對性的培訓和服務業職位投資，以確保共同繁榮並強化民主穩定性。
Related Entries
-
1.
-
2.
The article argues that Donald Trump's unique and prolonged lame-duck period, coupled with domestic political pressures, makes him dangerously prone to international instability. Having exhausted major diplomatic gambits, Trump is expected to channel his energy into high-stakes, unilateral actions, primarily targeting adversaries such as Iran and Cuba. These potential actions—ranging from fresh strikes in the Persian Gulf to attempts at regime change—carry a significant risk of destabilizing regional security and triggering a global economic crisis. Policymakers must anticipate this pivot to high-risk foreign policy to mitigate potential international flare-ups.
-
3.
China's economic strategy is characterized by a persistent 'economics of denial,' prioritizing massive state-directed investment in advanced technology over addressing weak domestic consumption. This approach is rooted in a flawed belief that controlling physical capital will automatically generate productivity and wage growth, ignoring the structural imbalance where domestic demand consistently falls short of supply. This overinvestment and underconsumption model is unsustainable. Consequently, Beijing's policies will continue to generate global deflationary pressures and escalating trade friction, necessitating a fundamental pivot toward consumption-led growth for long-term stability.
-
4.
The Blue Wave signals significant voter frustration with cost of living and inflation, giving Congress a mandate to prioritize affordability and cost-reduction measures. Economically, the rapid build-out of AI data centers is creating localized stress, driving up skilled labor wages and straining resources, while also facing constraints from power grids and potential local regulatory backlash. Policymakers must manage this 'sequencing issue'—addressing rising costs before full productivity gains from AI can materialize—and anticipate shifts in global data center infrastructure as the market matures.
-
5.
The U.S. is drastically reducing core funding to multilateral institutions, withdrawing from numerous bodies due to perceived misalignment with national interests. While multilateral channels offer critical advantages—such as pooling resources for global public goods and managing risk in fragile settings—the U.S.'s funding remains heavily 'earmarked,' which effectively 'bilateralizes' the system and undermines shared burden-sharing. This practice, coupled with deep cuts, diminishes the multilateral system's effectiveness and efficiency, particularly in humanitarian aid. Policy recommendations suggest the U.S. must adopt a systematic, published strategy for aid channel choice and shift from restrictive project-level earmarking to broader thematic funding to restore global cooperation.