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.
Shrink the UN
English Summary
The publication argues that the UN's credibility and operational capacity are severely undermined by geopolitical gridlock, exemplified by the veto power of major states, and persistent funding instability. To remain viable in an era of great-power competition, the UN must abandon its expansive, ambitious mandates and streamline its complex bureaucracy. Policy strategy must therefore pivot toward a highly focused, practical agenda centered on core functions: immediate crisis prevention, efficient humanitarian aid, and achievable conflict resolution. This consolidation is presented as the only way for the organization to regain relevance and trust among skeptical member states.
中文摘要
該出版物論述指出，聯合國的信譽和運作能力正因地緣政治僵局（例如主要國家的否決權）和持續的資金不穩定性而受到嚴重削弱。為了在大國競爭的時代保持可行性，聯合國必須放棄其過於擴張、雄心勃勃的職權範圍，並簡化其複雜的官僚體系。因此，政策策略必須轉向一個高度聚焦、實用性的議程，核心應圍繞以下功能：即時危機預防、高效人道援助，以及可實現的衝突解決。文章提出，這種整合是該組織重建相關性並贏回懷疑成員國信任的唯一途徑。
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