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.
China’s Purges Are Working as Designed
English Summary
The article argues that China's ongoing purges are not signs of weakness, but rather a sophisticated, historically rooted process of 'rectification' that strengthens the CCP's grip on power. This mechanism requires cadres to submit mandatory self-criticisms and build permanent, detailed personnel files (dossiers). This system of record-keeping is the CCP's primary source of resilience, creating profound, internalized discipline that controls internal dissent. Policymakers must recognize that the regime's durability stems from this deep internal control mechanism, making succession—rather than internal purges—the ultimate strategic vulnerability.
中文摘要
本文論述中國持續的肅清行動並非是衰弱的徵兆，而是一種複雜、歷史根基深厚的「整肅」過程，旨在強化中共對權力的掌控。這種機制要求各級幹部提交強制性的自我批評，並建立永久、詳盡的人事檔案（檔案）。這種記錄系統是中共主要的韌性來源，它創造了一種深刻的、內化的紀律，用以控制內部異議。政策制定者必須認識到，該政權的持久性源於這種深層的內部控制機制，因此，其真正的戰略弱點並非來自內部肅清，而是來自繼任問題。
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