Democracy & Rule of Law

Just Security’s expert authors provide analysis on threats and challenges to democracy and the rule of law in the United States and globally. Coverage includes analysis of the separation of powers, good governance, democratic backsliding, authoritarianism, judicial independence, freedom of the press and association, and accountability for rule of law violations.

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3,333 Articles
A tweet from former President Donald Trump is shown on a screen at a hearing held by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol on June 09, 2022 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Researchers Release Comprehensive Twitter Dataset of False Claims About The 2020 Election

A new report sheds light on how election misinformation spread across Twitter before and after the 2020 election. Insights for the Jan. 6 Committee and beyond from Justin Hendrix.…
A video of Bill Stepien, former Trump campaign manager (L) speaking is shown on a screen during the second hearing held by the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol on June 13, 2022 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

The January 6th Hearings: Criminal Evidence Tracker Second Edition

Tracking two federal crimes and one Georgia state crime with evidence presented by the House Select Committee investigating January 6th.
Displaced villagers and their belongings are seen along a road after being evacuated from flooded water in Juba, South Sudan on September 28, 2021. Thousands of residents were displaced as rivers overflowed with heavy rain across parts of the country. (Photo by PETER LOUIS GUME/AFP via Getty Images)

South Sudan: The Road to a Living Hell, Paved with Peace Deals

A singular focus by the US and partners on power-sharing and elections to end the war has instead bred famine and a violent kleptocracy.
US Representative Liz Cheney speaks flanked by US Representative Bennie Thompson, chairman of the House committee investigating the Capitol riot.

The January 6th Hearings: A Criminal Evidence Tracker

A new public resource that will be updated with every hearing of the January 6 Select Committee. Two federal crimes and one Georgia state crime.
Members of the National Guard, who carry clear shields, keep away a group of demonstrators from the Capitol building at night.

January 6th Intelligence Failure Timeline

The most comprehensive timeline of the intelligence failure preceding the attack on the US Capitol.
Taxi drivers stand by their cars while waiting for passengers in front of the headquarters of Russia's Federal Security Services (FSB) in central Moscow on May 12, 2022. Russia's government has put forward a law to force ride-hailing apps to give the FSB domestic intelligence agency real-time access to their data. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Defectors Provide Immediate Gratification, But Spies Change History

The CIA’s Instagram post on how to make "secure virtual contact” shows the need for agents and their ability to provide ongoing intelligence.

“Witnesses with Baggage” — Anticipating the Jan 6 Hearings and Related Investigations

"The reality is that witnesses are often neither heroes nor villains, or maybe they are a little of both."

Primer on the Hearings of the January 6th Select Committee

Capsule summaries of key facts and findings to date, and what to look for during the public hearings in June .
A person walks along a street past a charred residential building in the city of Mariupol on April 29, 2022, amid the ongoing Russian military action in Ukraine. (Photo by ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Transitional Justice in Ukraine: Guidance to Policymakers

A successful mechanism must involve civil society and include the impact of Russia’s armed conflict preceding this year’s full invasion.
Supporters of Burkina Faso's ousted President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré gather in Ouagadougou, on May 28, 2022, during an indoor rally demanding his release. Kabore's party, the People's Movement for Progress (MPP), on May 24 denounced his detention, four months since the January 24 coup. (Photo by OLYMPIA DE MAISMONT/AFP via Getty Images)

The US Needs a Global Anti-Coup Strategy

With partners, Washington can affect the calculus of local players and set an example of standing with local pro-democracy actors.
IMAGE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L) and children refresh themselves in a fountain in central Mariupol on June 15, 2019, during his first official visit to the frontline port city of Mariupol, where he took part in joint exercises of the Ukrainian national guard, border guard, sappers and divers in the Sea of Azov. The city at the time was about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the then-active combat zone, and was celebrating the 5th anniversary of it's liberation from the Russia-backed rebels in 2014. (Photo EVGENIYA MAKSYMOVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Mariupol and the Origins and Avenues of Ukraine’s Transitional Justice Process

Government and civil society began a holistic approach to peace and reconciliation three years ago. It's time now to update and implement.
About eight people stand to one side of a memorial with flowers, balloons, and chalk names.

Beyond a “Hate Crime”: “Replacement” Rhetoric and the Genocide Worry

Judge Chile Eboe-Osuji, former President of the International Criminal Court, analyzes "replacement theory"-motivated killings through lens of international law on genocide.
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