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.
Chatham House Berlin conference 2026
English Summary
Europe faces a strategic inflection point, driven by global fragmentation and geopolitical competition between major powers. While European states are undertaking significant rearmament and building economic resilience in response to instability, the core challenge is shifting from self-protection to defining its role as a global leader. To achieve this, Europe must overcome internal political fragmentation and leverage its soft power—particularly its intellectual and democratic ideals—to become an anchor for stability across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. The ultimate policy imperative is developing a cohesive European strategy that translates economic weight and regulatory power into sustained geopolitical influence, thereby shaping a new world order that balances competition with cooperation.
中文摘要
歐洲正處於一個戰略轉折點，其驅動因素源自全球碎片化以及主要大國之間的地緣政治競爭。儘管歐洲各國為應對不穩定局勢而進行了重大的軍備重建和經濟韌性建設，但核心挑戰已從「自我保護」轉向「定義其作為全球領導者的角色」。為實現這一目標，歐洲必須克服內部的政治碎片化，並發揮其軟實力——特別是其知識分子與民主理想——以成為橫跨非洲、拉丁美洲和亞洲的穩定錨點。最終的政策要旨是制定一套協調一致的歐洲戰略，將經濟份量和監管權力轉化為持續的地緣政治影響力，從而塑造一個平衡競爭與合作的新世界秩序。
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