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 Jervis Effect: The Scholarship and Legacy of Robert Jervis
English Summary
Robert Jervis's scholarship argues that in an anarchic international system, state cooperation is inherently difficult because foreign policies are frequently shaped by deep uncertainty, misperception, and psychological biases. Rooted in realist theory, his work emphasizes the challenge states face in accurately understanding one another's intentions and capabilities. Crucially, however, Jervis was not a pessimist; he maintained that political leaders possess the capacity to learn from historical mistakes and pursue enlightened self-interest. For policy strategists, this suggests that while misperception is constant, diplomatic efforts must focus on institutionalizing mechanisms for mutual understanding and promoting continuous learning among global actors.
中文摘要
羅伯特·傑維斯（Robert Jervis）的研究指出，在一個無政府的國際體系中，國家間的合作本質上極為困難，因為外國政策經常受到深度不確定性、誤判和心理偏見的影響。他的學說植根於現實主義理論，強調了各國在準確理解彼此意圖和能力方面所面臨的挑戰。然而，傑維斯並非悲觀論者；他主張政治領導人具備從歷史錯誤中學習的能力，並能夠追求開明的自身利益。對於政策戰略家而言，這意味著儘管誤判是常態，外交努力仍必須聚焦於建立制度化的機制來促進相互理解，並推動全球行為體之間的持續學習。
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