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 Middle East’s Quiet Liberal Revolution
English Summary
Despite the visible rise of authoritarian and fundamentalist regimes, underlying public opinion across key Middle Eastern nations is undergoing a steady, quiet shift toward liberal values. Survey data from 2000–2020 demonstrates increasing support for secular governance, gender equality, and separating religion from politics, often acting as a reaction to religious domination and state repression. This ideological shift suggests that popular desires for individual liberty and secular institutions are growing, regardless of current political crackdowns. Policymakers must recognize this deep-seated domestic trend, as it indicates that the region's long-term political trajectory is moving toward greater secularization and individualistic demands.
中文摘要
儘管威權和基本主義政權明顯興起，但中東關鍵國家群體的潛在民意卻正在穩步、悄然地轉向自由主義價值觀。2000年至2020年的調查數據顯示，世俗治理、性別平等以及政教分離的支持度正在提高，這往往是對宗教統治和國家壓迫的反動。這種意識形態的轉變表明，無論當前政治鎮壓如何嚴厲，民眾對於個人自由和世俗制度的渴望都在增長。政策制定者必須認識到這一深層次的國內趨勢，因為它預示著該地區的長期政治軌跡正朝著更高的世俗化和個人化需求發展。
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