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.
Lessons From 9/11 and Its Aftermath
English Summary
The article argues that the U.S.'s response to 9/11, particularly the overextension into 'forever wars' in the Middle East, significantly depleted its geopolitical and economic power, allowing rising global powers to challenge the established order. Key evidence highlights the shift from the U.S. as the sole superpower to a more complex, multi-polar world, coupled with domestic political polarization and institutional failures in intelligence sharing. Strategically, the analysis stresses that the U.S. must move beyond reactive security measures, requiring proactive overhauls of government structures and a creative focus on adapting to rapidly evolving technological and non-traditional threats, such as cyber warfare and domestic terrorism.
中文摘要
本文論述美國對9/11事件的回應，特別是其在中東地區「無止盡的戰爭」的過度擴張，嚴重消耗了其地緣政治和經濟實力，從而使新興全球大國得以挑戰既有的國際秩序。關鍵證據指出，美國已從單一超級大國轉向一個更複雜的、多極化的世界，此趨勢結合了國內政治極化和情報共享體系上的制度性失能。從戰略角度來看，分析強調美國必須超越被動的安保措施，要求對政府結構進行主動的改革，並創造性地著重於適應快速演變的技術和非傳統威脅，例如網路戰和國內恐怖主義。
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