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 Range of the River: A Riverine History of Empire Across China, India, and Southeast Asia
English Summary
The book argues that major Asian rivers are not merely geographical features but powerful geopolitical agents that have historically driven imperial competition and shaped regional cultures. While these waterways once represented shared resources, modern nation-states, particularly China and India, are increasingly transforming them into instruments of state power. This control is evidenced by the damming of flows and the restriction of navigation, effectively turning once-shared waterways into national borders. Policymakers must recognize this shift, as the weaponization of water resources and the militarization of river basins represent a growing source of regional instability and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.
中文摘要
本書論述亞洲主要河流不僅是地理特徵，更是強大的地緣政治主體。這些河流在歷史上曾驅動了帝國競爭，並塑造了區域文化。儘管這些水路曾經代表共享資源，但現代民族國家，特別是中國和印度，正日益將其轉化為國家權力的工具。這種控制體現在水流的攔壩工程和航運的限制上，實質上將曾經的共享水域轉變為國家邊界。政策制定者必須認識到這一轉變，因為水資源的武器化和河流流域的軍事化，正成為印太地區日益增長的區域不穩定和戰略競爭源頭。
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