Just Security is on a reduced schedule this week for summer vacation, which means we will publish some commentary and analysis but at a lower rate than usual. Our pieces this week will include analysis by John Sipher of the expected trajectory of the Russia investigation (coming later this morning), Ryan Goodman and Alex Whiting on a set of previously unreported options available to special counsel Robert Mueller, plus more.
In the meantime, we thought to highlight some of our most relevant and thought-provoking content of the year for summer reading edification.
From deep reflections on the threat to the rule of law in America, to an explainer on the special counsel investigation, this reading list might make you rethink fundamental issues in our democracy or help clarify aspects of the workings of government that you’ve been meaning to explore:
- Why It Does Not Matter Who Rachel Brand Is, by David Luban, draws lessons from social psychology research to assess whether officials will act ethically in the Trump Administration.
- Following the Money: Russia, Cyprus, and the Trump Team’s Odd Business Dealings, by John Reed, traces a “suspicious” series of “murky financial dealings” involving Russia, Cyprus, and President Trump’s associates.
- Of Laws, Not Men, by former General Counsel to the CIA, Jeffrey H. Smith, calls for political leaders to defend the rule of law and democratic institutions from threats posed by the Trump Administration.
- We Are Already in a State of Emergency, by Rachel Kleinfeld, argues that “the United States is already being ruled under a state of emergency” and urges vigilance in the face of a “slow creep” of declining civil liberties.
- Explainer: The Special Counsel Investigation, by Hannah Ryan, answers key questions like “What is Mueller investigating?” and “What are the potential scenarios for the investigation’s outcome?”
- International Law is Failing Us in Syria, by Rebecca Ingber, explores deep questions concerning the legality of using military force to prevent atrocities.
- Dissenting from Within the Trump Administration, by Oona Hathaway and Sarah Weiner, offers a “catalog of the ways those working in government can respond when asked to participate in actions they believe to be illegal or unethical.”
Image: Lyndon B. Johnson on his 60th birthday on August 27, 1968 with his grandson in the pool at the LBJ Ranch, near Stonewall, Texas – LBJ Presidential Library