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.
Business Support for Human Rights Defenders in an Era of Government Retrenchment
English Summary
Amid severe global retrenchment of government funding for human rights defenders (HRDs) and civil society, the article argues that the private sector must assume a structural role in supporting this vital space. This necessity is driven by a growing corporate recognition that civic freedoms and rule of law are foundational to stable, long-term business operations. For this support to be effective, businesses must fund through intermediary organizations to ensure the institutional independence of local grantees and mitigate the risk of host-country repercussions. Strategically, private investment can stabilize the civil society ecosystem, thereby creating a more predictable and sustainable operating environment for global commerce.
中文摘要
鑑於全球政府對人權捍衛者（HRDs）和公民社會資金的嚴重收縮，本文主張私營部門必須承擔結構性角色，來支持這一至關重要的空間。這種必要性源於企業日益認可一個事實：公民自由和法治是穩定、長期商業營運的基礎。為確保此類支持的有效性，企業必須透過中介組織進行資金投入，以保障當地受援機構的制度獨立性，並減輕東道國層面的政治風險。從策略角度來看，私人投資能夠穩定公民社會生態系統，從而為全球商業創造一個更具可預測性和可持續性的營運環境。
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