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.
Our Trading Partners Are Moving On, Circumventing USA
English Summary
The article argues that the United States' aggressive use of tariffs and economic coercion is counterproductive, inspiring international partners to actively circumvent US markets. Instead of increasing dependency on American trade, major global players are deepening cooperation by establishing new free trade agreements (e.g., EU-India, ACFTA, CPTPP) that explicitly exclude the U.S. This trend signals a significant shift toward increased global economic integration outside of US influence. Policymakers should recognize this accelerating decoupling, as it suggests that the traditional American model of trade leverage is rapidly diminishing unless the U.S. commits to upholding multilateral rules and reducing protectionism.
中文摘要
本文指出，美國過度且激進地使用關稅和經濟強制手段是事與願違的，反而刺激了國際夥伴積極規避美國市場。全球主要參與者不再增加對美貿易依賴，而是透過建立新的自由貿易協定（例如歐盟-印度、亞太FTA、CPTPP）加深合作，這些協定明確排除了美國。這一趨勢表明全球經濟正在朝著一個獨立於美國影響力的方向加速整合。政策制定者應認識到這種加速的「脫鉤」現象，因為它暗示了傳統的美國貿易槓桿模式正在迅速衰退，除非美國承諾維護多邊規則並減少保護主義。
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