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.
Trump’s ‘Diesel Deal’ With Russia Was Just the Start
English Summary
The article argues that President Trump's recent actions, highlighted by the 'Diesel Deal' with Russia, signal a dangerous and fundamental shift in his foreign policy toward Ukraine. This pivot is evidenced by his public attacks on Ukrainian leadership, the invention of ceasefires, and the use of threats to pressure Kyiv, suggesting a desire to force a rapid, final settlement rather than managing de-escalation. If this pattern of hostility and destabilization continues, the implications include lasting damage to U.S. alliances, prolonged suffering for Ukraine, and significant global geopolitical instability.
中文摘要
本文指出，川普總統近期一系列行動，特別是涉及俄羅斯「柴油協議」（Diesel Deal）的事件，顯示其對烏克蘭的外交政策正在發生危險且根本性的轉變。這種轉向體現在其公開攻擊烏克蘭領導層、虛構停火協議，以及利用威脅來施壓基輔，這表明其意圖是強迫達成快速的最終和解，而非管理局勢降溫。如果這種敵意和不穩定化的模式持續下去，其影響包括對美國聯盟的持久損害、烏克蘭持續的痛苦，以及重大的全球地緣政治不穩定。
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