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.
From importer to exporter: Oil shocks and the US economy
English Summary
The Brookings paper argues that the historical link between sharp oil price increases and U.S. recessions has broken. Because the United States has become a net oil exporter due to the shale revolution, rising global oil prices now boost domestic economic activity and wealth, rather than causing a recession. This fundamental shift means that adverse oil supply shocks are less likely to trigger a downturn, providing policymakers with greater flexibility to manage inflation through interest rate adjustments. Consequently, the risk of an oil shock causing a recession is significantly diminished.
中文摘要
布魯金斯智庫的論文指出，油價急劇上漲與美國經濟衰退之間的歷史關聯性已經瓦解。由於美國已成為淨石油出口國，這得益於頁岩革命，全球油價的上漲現今能夠提振國內經濟活動和財富，而非引發衰退。這一根本性的轉變意味著，不利的石油供應衝擊引發經濟衰退的可能性已大大降低，為政策制定者提供了更大的彈性空間，以透過調整利率來管理通貨膨脹。因此，石油衝擊導致經濟衰退的風險已顯著減低。
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