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.
The Real Cost of the U.S.-Canada Trade Breakdown
English Summary
The collapse of US-Canada trade talks and the imposition of high tariffs threaten to destabilize North American commerce by progressively dismantling tariff-free trade under the USMCA. The real cost is not merely the tariff payments but the structural damage caused by escalating retaliation cycles, which undermine established regional agreements. Analysts warn that this instability could prompt other allies, such as Europe, to follow Canada's lead in accepting economic pain rather than capitulating to U.S. trade demands. For policy makers, the findings suggest that the current USMCA framework is fundamentally ill-equipped for a world of high tariffs and shifting global supply chains, requiring urgent structural reform.
中文摘要
美加貿易談判的破局，以及高關稅的徵收威脅，正透過逐步瓦解《美墨加協定》（USMCA）下的零關稅貿易，使北美商業體系陷入不穩定。其真正的成本不僅僅是關稅支付本身，更在於升級報復循環所造成的結構性損害，這正在削弱既有的區域協議。分析師警告稱，這種不穩定性可能會促使其他盟友，例如歐洲，效仿加拿大，選擇承受經濟痛苦而非屈服於美國的貿易要求。對於政策制定者而言，研究結果顯示，現行的《美墨加協定》框架在面對高關稅和變動全球供應鏈的世界時，是根本不足的，亟需進行結構性改革。
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