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.
Counterrevolution in Egypt: Sisi’s New Republic
English Summary
The analysis argues that Sisi's current regime represents a unique form of authoritarian rule, shifting its focus from preventing military coups to preempting popular uprisings, making it 'uprising-proof.' Key evidence suggests that the military's primary concern is maintaining internal stability by suppressing disaffected citizens, rather than managing external threats or rival officers. The regime achieves this through a largely unified military government that relies heavily on ubiquitous security services to extinguish even loyal opposition. For policy makers, this indicates that stability in Egypt is maintained not through institutional governance, but through pervasive internal security control, requiring a strategic focus on civil society engagement.
中文摘要
該分析指出，Sisi當前的政權代表了一種獨特的威權統治形式，其焦點已從預防軍事政變轉向預防民眾起義，使其達到「抗起義」的狀態。關鍵證據顯示，軍方首要關切是透過鎮壓心懷不滿的公民來維持內部穩定，而非處理外部威脅或應對內部競爭的軍官。該政權透過一個高度統一的軍事政府來實現這一目標，並極度依賴遍佈各處的安全服務來平息甚至忠誠的異議。對於政策制定者而言，這表明埃及的穩定並非建立在制度化治理之上，而是仰賴全面性的內部安全控制，因此需要將戰略重點放在公民社會的參與上。
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