Democracy & Rule of Law
Elections
875 Articles

Q&A with Steve Vladeck and Rolf Mowatt Larssen on Democracy, Insurrection, and Where We Go From Here
In the aftermath of the certification of Biden’s victory and the insurrection at the Capitol, a discussion about how institutions and norms withstood the assault and what weaknesses…

The Attack on the Capitol: Why It’s Not a Surprise
The Trump-inspired mob who launched an unprecedented siege of the Capitol is a permanent stain on American democracy. What’s worse, it was not unexpected.

Ugandan Human Rights Lawyer Fights Charges on Eve of Presidential Election
Following a now-predictable pattern in the leadup to the polls, authorities have hastened arrests of political opponents and critics of President Museveni.

Judges Doing What Judges Do: A Unified Theory of the 2020 Election Season
Dozens of judges, from all political persuasions, uniformly rejected the extravagant claims of President Donald Trump to set aside the presidential election results, or to compel…

Alarms Raised in Central African Republic: Pre-Election Fighting Threatens Civilians and Fragile Peace
Ahead of elections this weekend, risks of a dramatic escalation of violence and political crisis in Central African Republic. What you need to know.

Invoking Martial Law to Reverse the 2020 Election Could be Criminal Sedition
In his increasingly desperate bid to hang on to the White House, President Trump is reportedly contemplating invoking martial law to force the invalidation of the results of the…

Pardongate 2.0: Prosecutors and Congress Investigated Clinton’s Pardons. The Same Should Happen to Trump.
There's ample precedent (the investigations of Bill Clinton's pardons) and ample reason for Congress and the Department of Justice to launch investigations into President Trump's…

Risk of Election-Related Violence Remains, Here’s What Could Reduce It
Six weeks after the election, the United States still faces an elevated risk of political violence despite the Electoral College certifying the result and the courts upholding…

The System Is Not Working: The Lopsided Election Result, Not The Courts, Saved Our Democracy
The president’s post-election litigation has crashed and burned, but it has reinforced the pernicious idea, born from Bush v. Gore, that it is appropriate for courts to step…

Libya: Subnational Governance as a Potential Anchor of Stability
As the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum proceeds, a government structure that genuinely responds to legitimate grievances will be key to sustainable peace.

A Post-Election Trump Firing Makes the Case for an Independent, Regulatory CISA
Incoming President Biden and Congress should seize the moment of the agency’s high profile to strengthen its role in protecting critical US infrastructure.

COVID-19 and International Law Series: Human Rights Law – Civil and Political Rights
[Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Just Security series, COVID and International Law. All articles in the series can be found here.] States around the world have had…