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.
Harnessing the State: Oppressed Groups and the Pursuit of Radical Democracy
English Summary
The article argues that even when oppressed groups face systemic discrimination despite formal legal rights, they can still successfully leverage the state's power to achieve their goals. Key evidence includes the historical efforts of figures like B. R. Ambedkar and W. E. B. Du Bois, demonstrating how challenging state power through litigation and mobilization can force state action and reform. This suggests that rather than abandoning the state, oppressed groups can strategically utilize judicial processes and welfare mechanisms to advance social justice and inclusion. Policymakers should recognize that institutional reform often requires empowering marginalized communities to engage directly with state legal and political structures.
中文摘要
本文論述，即使受壓迫群體面臨系統性歧視，儘管擁有正式的法律權利，它們仍能成功地運用國家權力來達成目標。關鍵證據包括B. R. Ambedkar和W. E. B. Du Bois等歷史人物的努力，證明了透過訴訟和社會動員挑戰國家權力，可以迫使國家採取行動並進行改革。這暗示，受壓迫群體不應放棄國家，而是可以策略性地利用司法程序和福利機制來推動社會正義與包容性。政策制定者應認識到，制度性改革往往需要賦予邊緣化社群權力，使其直接參與國家法律和政治結構。
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