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 Houthi Red Sea blockade: Will collective maritime security be defended, or break down?
English Summary
The Houthi blockade has created a dangerous three-way chokepoint crisis, severely testing global maritime security by generating disproportionate economic pressure on international trade. While the Houthis gain political leverage through disruption, the primary strategic risk is not military defeat but the breakdown of collective international law. This instability encourages states and private actors to pursue ad hoc bilateral transit agreements with belligerents, thereby weakening established rules-based order. Policymakers must therefore prioritize strengthening existing multinational coalitions (e.g., EU/UK naval operations) rather than allowing a proliferation of competing bilateral arrangements.
中文摘要
胡塞人封鎖行動已形成一個危險的三方關鍵節點危機，透過對國際貿易產生不成比例的經濟壓力，嚴重考驗了全球海事安全。儘管胡塞人藉由擾亂爭取了政治籌碼，但主要的戰略風險並非軍事失敗，而是集體國際法規的瓦解。這種不穩定性鼓勵各國和私人行為者與交戰方尋求臨時性的雙邊過境協議，從而削弱既有的規則導向秩序。因此，政策制定者必須優先強化現有的多國聯盟（例如歐盟/英國的海軍行動），而非允許競爭性雙邊安排的泛濫。
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