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.
Much Ado About Mapping
English Summary
The article analyzes the U.S. opposition to a UN resolution advocating for the use of accurate world maps, specifically criticizing the Mercator projection in favor of the Equal Earth projection. The core argument is that Washington's objection—which frames map accuracy as an ideological affront—is counterintuitive and fails to advance any discernible U.S. interest in Africa, which is eager to correct its perceived geographical understatement. The author suggests that this resistance to objective cartographic accuracy reflects a broader pattern of U.S. foreign policy, where the nation insists on maintaining comfortable, mistaken narratives rather than engaging with verifiable global realities. This pattern of denial risks isolating the U.S. and undermines effective diplomacy and partnership with African states.
中文摘要
本文分析了美國對一項呼籲使用準確世界地圖的聯合國決議案的抵制態度，特別批評其偏好「等面積地球投影」（Equal Earth projection）而非「墨卡托投影」（Mercator projection）。核心論點指出，華盛頓的異議——將地圖準確性定性為一種意識形態上的冒犯——是反直覺的，並且未能推進任何可察覺的美國在非洲的利益，而非洲國家正急切地糾正其認為的地理描繪不足。作者提出，這種對客觀繪圖準確性的抵制，反映了美國外交政策的一個更廣泛模式：即該國堅持維護舒適但錯誤的敘事，而非應對可驗證的全球現實。這種否認的模式有時會使美國陷入孤立，並損害其與非洲國家之間有效的外交和夥伴關係。
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