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 Birth of Indian Liberalism: Mama Parmanand’s “Letters to an Indian Raja”
English Summary
Narayana Mahadev Parmanand’s 1891 work advocates for a fundamental transition in India's princely states, urging rulers to replace absolute rule and entrenched social despotism with constitutional monarchy and modern governance. His liberal reformism is uniquely grounded not in individual rights doctrine, but in the philosophical belief that freedom is necessary for humanity’s pursuit of perfection. While later mass nationalism eclipsed his project, Parmanand's text remains indispensable for understanding the intellectual origins of India's foundational liberal tradition. This historical framework highlights an early internal push toward meritocratic governance and constitutionalism.
中文摘要
納拉雅那·馬哈德夫·帕爾馬南德（Narayana Mahadev Parmanand）於1891年發表的著作，倡導印度邦國體系進行根本性轉型。他敦促統治者將絕對的王權和根深蒂固的社會專制主義，取代為憲政君主制與現代治理模式。他的自由主義改革思潮，其獨特之處在於它並非建立在個人權利學說之上，而是基於一種哲學信念——即認為自由是人類追求完善所必需的條件。儘管後來的群眾民族主義掩蓋了他的構想，但帕爾馬南德的文本對於理解印度奠基性的自由主義傳統的思想淵源，仍然具有不可或缺的價值。這部歷史著作凸顯了早期內部推動邁向能力導向治理和憲政精神的動力。
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