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.
Decoy Candidates and the Law
English Summary
This analysis examines the legal permissibility of using 'decoy candidates' in US elections, arguing that current federal law does not prohibit the mere act of recruiting a same-name rival. Instead, legal challenges should focus on ancillary violations, such as false sworn statements or campaign finance law breaches. The author notes that while some states have specific statutes addressing duplicative names, the legal risk remains low unless these specific state laws are violated. Consequently, policy and legal strategy must focus on enforcing existing state election and finance laws rather than attempting to criminalize the tactic itself.
中文摘要
本分析檢視了在美國選舉中使用「虛設候選人」的法律可允許性，論點指出現行聯邦法律並未禁止招募同名競爭對手的行為本身。因此，法律挑戰應著重於附帶的違規行為，例如虛假宣誓或違反選舉資金法規。作者指出，雖然部分州有針對重複姓名的特定法規，但除非違反這些州級法規，否則法律風險仍低。因此，政策與法律策略必須著重於執行現有的州級選舉和資金法規，而非嘗試將此戰術本身刑事化。
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