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 Does the Iran War End?
English Summary
The article argues that both aggressive escalation and unilateral deescalation regarding Iran are politically and strategically unappealing, making a continued 'messy stalemate' the most probable outcome. The author notes that full-scale strikes risk humanitarian crises and wider conflict, while withdrawal risks appearing as capitulation and undermining US credibility in key choke points like the Strait of Hormuz. Consequently, policy is likely to remain in a costly status quo, characterized by intermittent military actions paired with stalled diplomatic negotiations. This calcifying stalemate suggests sustained regional tension without a clear path toward resolution or breakthrough.
中文摘要
本文論述，無論是針對伊朗的激進升級（aggressive escalation）還是單方面降級（unilateral deescalation），在政治和戰略上皆不具吸引力，因此持續的「混亂僵局」（messy stalemate）是最可能的結果。作者指出，全面性打擊有引發人道危機及更廣泛衝突的風險；而撤退則可能被解讀為投降，從而削弱美國在霍爾木茲海峽等關鍵咽喉點（choke points）的信譽。因此，政策很可能會維持一種成本高昂的現狀（costly status quo），其特徵是間歇性的軍事行動與停滯的外交談判並存。這種固化的僵局預示著區域緊張局勢將持續存在，但缺乏明確的解決或突破路徑。
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