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.
"Liberty as a Qur'anic Value": A New Book Review
English Summary
The book argues that the Qur'anic principle of "no compulsion in religion" establishes individual freedom of conscience as a foundational Islamic value. It challenges contemporary interpretations—which often justify state coercion through laws on apostasy, blasphemy, or morality policing—by advocating for a return to critical scholarly interpretation (ijtihād). For policy, this suggests that external analysis must account for the internal intellectual debate within Muslim societies regarding religious freedom and the separation of Sharia law from state enforcement. Ignoring these nuanced legal arguments risks misinterpreting the source of resistance to coercive laws in various Muslim-majority states.
中文摘要
本書論述《古蘭經》中「宗教不容強迫」的原則，確立了個人良心自由作為伊斯蘭教信仰的核心價值。它挑戰了當代許多詮釋——這些詮釋常透過關於離教、褻瀆或道德規範執法的法律來為國家強制性行為辯護——並倡導回歸批判性的學術解讀（即『伊茲提哈德』，ijtihād）。從政策層面來看，這暗示外部分析必須考量穆斯林社會內部關於宗教自由和教法（Sharia law）與國家執行力分離的知識性辯論。若忽略這些細微的法律論點，則有誤判在各個穆斯林多數國家對強制性法律產生抵抗的真正來源。
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