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.
How Multilateralism Can Survive
English Summary
The article analyzes the severe vulnerability of multilateral institutions to unilateral actions by major powers, citing recent hypothetical US withdrawals from key global accords, including the Paris Climate Accord, WHO, and WTO. This trend of institutional erosion poses a significant threat to global cooperation and established international norms. For multilateralism to survive, the global community must address the systemic weaknesses that allow nationalistic policies to undermine collective action. Policy strategies must focus on strengthening institutional resilience and developing mechanisms to enforce international commitments against political headwinds.
中文摘要
本文分析了多邊機構對於主要大國單邊行動所面臨的嚴重脆弱性，並以美國近期假設性退出巴黎氣候協定、世界衛生組織（WHO）和世界貿易組織（WTO）等關鍵全球協定為例。這種制度性侵蝕的趨勢，對全球合作和既有的國際規範構成了重大威脅。為使多邊主義得以存續，全球社群必須解決那些允許國家民族主義政策破壞集體行動的系統性弱點。政策策略必須著重於強化機構的韌性，並發展機制以抵抗政治阻力，確保國際承諾得以落實。
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