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 Trump Brought Non-Alignment Back From the Dead
English Summary
The article argues that the U.S., through recent policy signals—such as questioning NATO's value or sympathizing with great-power territorial claims—is inadvertently adopting the core tenets of non-alignment, prioritizing transactional national interests over binding alliances. Historically, while non-alignment allowed developing nations to gain benefits without commitment, the analysis notes that this approach lacks the deep trust and shared obligations necessary for robust security structures. The implication is critical: by undermining established alliances, the U.S. risks losing its greatest strategic asset—the network of mutual commitments—as allies actively seek alternative bilateral or regional defense pacts.
中文摘要
本文論述美國近期透過一系列政策訊號——例如質疑北約的價值或對大國領土主張表示同情——無意中採納了非結盟的核心原則，將交易性的國家利益置於具約束力的聯盟之上。歷史上，雖然不結盟使發展中國家得以在無需承諾的情況下獲得益處，但本分析指出，此種做法缺乏建立強健安全結構所需的深層信任和共同義務。其潛在的重大影響是：美國若持續破壞既有的聯盟體系，將面臨失去其最重要戰略資產——即相互承諾網絡——的風險，因為盟友們正積極尋求替代性的雙邊或區域防禦協定。
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