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 End of Free Trade
English Summary
Lighthizer argues that the post-WWII global free trade system is fundamentally flawed and must be replaced by a more sovereign, balanced order. He cites the erosion of American industrial power as key evidence, pointing to the systemic mistakes of granting permanent Most Favored Nation status to China in the 1990s, which accelerated manufacturing decline. The analysis concludes that relying solely on free markets ignores crucial elements of national industrial policy and allows foreign powers to gain unsustainable advantages. Strategically, this necessitates a pivot away from pure globalization toward managed trade practices, including targeted tariffs and domestic industrial support.
中文摘要
萊特海澤（Lighthizer）主張，戰後全球自由貿易體系存在根本性缺陷，必須被一個更具主權、更平衡的秩序所取代。他以美國工業實力衰退為關鍵證據，指出在 1990 年代授予中國永久「最惠國待遇」（Most Favored Nation status）等系統性失誤，加速了製造業的衰退。該分析結論認為，單純依賴自由市場忽略了國家產業政策的關鍵要素，並允許外國勢力獲得不可持續的優勢。從戰略角度來看，這要求我們必須從純粹的全球化轉向有管理的貿易實踐，包括實施目標性關稅和國內工業支持。
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