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.
Betrayal of the Homeland: Disloyal Subjects in Wartime Syria
English Summary
The article argues that the Syrian conflict's defining feature was not sectarian identity, but the regime's systematic definition of 'disloyalty,' which branded opponents, defecting soldiers, and even refugees as enemies. This state-sponsored labeling mechanism, described as 'authoritarian alchemy,' profoundly complicated post-war reconciliation efforts, undermining international peace initiatives. The primary challenge for the new Syrian government is therefore reconstituting a national identity that transcends the deep divisions created by the regime's wartime propaganda and violence. Policymakers must recognize that rebuilding requires addressing the deep political mistrust fostered by the regime's use of disloyalty as a tool of control.
中文摘要
本文論述，敘利亞衝突的決定性特徵並非種族或派系身份，而是政權系統性地定義「不忠」這一概念，藉此將反對派、叛逃士兵，甚至難民都標籤化為敵人。這種國家支持的標籤機制，被描述為「威權煉金術」，極大地複雜化了戰後和解的努力，並削弱了國際和平倡議。因此，新敘利亞政府面臨的首要挑戰，是重建一種超越政權在戰時宣傳和暴力所製造的深刻分裂的國家認同。政策制定者必須認識到，重建工作必須解決的是政權利用「不忠」作為控制工具所滋生的深層政治不信任。
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