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 dirty tricks harm, and institutional safeguards protect, the integrity of US elections
English Summary
The Brookings analysis argues that while US elections are vulnerable to persistent 'dirty tricks'—including AI-generated misinformation and voter confusion—the system is protected by multiple robust institutional safeguards. Key defenses include strict 'chain of custody' protocols for ballots, the reliance on air-gapped, paper-based voting machines, and mandatory post-election audits. The findings imply that while fear campaigns and insider threats pose risks, the combination of established legal procedures, technological redundancy, and active bipartisan oversight makes widespread fraud difficult to execute or conceal. Therefore, maintaining public confidence requires continuous vigilance against disinformation and rigorous enforcement of existing electoral laws.
中文摘要
布魯金斯智庫的分析指出，儘管美國選舉容易受到持續性的「不正當手段」——包括AI生成的不實資訊和選民混淆——的威脅，但該體系仍受到多重穩健的制度性保障。關鍵防禦措施包括對選票實施嚴格的「保管鏈」（chain of custody）協議、依賴物理隔離的紙本投票機，以及強制性的選舉後審計。研究結果暗示，雖然恐懼宣傳和內部威脅構成風險，但既有的法律程序、技術冗餘性，以及兩黨的積極監督，使得大規模舞弊難以執行或掩蓋。因此，維持公眾信心需要持續警惕虛假資訊，並嚴格執行現有的選舉法律。
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