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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3,364 Articles

Reclaim the First Amendment — Harvard Law Review Address

Remarks from Jameel Jaffer, Just Security Executive Editor and Executive Director of the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.
Image: A Sudanese protester carries makeshift scales during a protest asking for the extradition of ousted former president Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court in the capital Khartoum on September 19, 2019. (Photo by ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP via Getty Images)

Why the ICC’s First Trial on Darfur is About More Than Securing Justice

Ali Kushayb's trial opens as the military reasserts its control over Sudan. Justice - and peace - will require holding perpetrators accountable, even those who are currently in…

How the U.S. Can Stop Empowering Eurasia’s Authoritarians

"The United States has a valuable opportunity to help the people of Eurasia emerge from the shadow of the Soviet Union’s legacy. It cannot do that if it shuts its eyes to the…
Image: The International Court of Justice (ICJ), principal judicial organ of the UN, holds public hearings (by video link) on the preliminary objections raised by Myanmar in the case concerning “Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide” (The Gambia v. Myanmar) at the Peace Palace in The Hague, from 21 to 28 February 2022. Sessions are held under the presidency of Judge Joan E. Donoghue, President of the Court. A wide view of the members of the Court on the opening day, including Ko Ko Hlaing, the representative of Myanmar's military junta, on the opening day of the hearings. Feb. 21, 2022. UN Photo/Frank van Beek

The People of Myanmar Need to Be Heard, Not Ostracized, on the International Stage

So far, U.N. bodies have boosted the legitimacy of the Myanmar junta (at the ICJ) or denied the Burmese people the right to be represented at all (at the Human Rights Council).…
Just Security

Переговори щодо війни в тіні міжнародного права

"Ми вважаємо, що справжня мета різноманітних норм міжнародного права полягає в тому, щоб зробити…
Just Security

Bargaining About War in the Shadow of International Law

International law offers important tools to prod adversaries to avoid military options for resolving disputes.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attend the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, on November 30, 2018. - Global leaders gather in the Argentine capital for a two-day G20 summit beginning on Friday likely to be dominated by simmering international tensions over trade.

Embracing Autocrats to Help Ukraine Is a Losing Proposition

Downplaying human rights in the name of building an alliance to oppose Russia’s invasion risks strengthening the global autocratic threat of which the Ukraine conflict is only…
Just Security

Introduction to Symposium: Still at War – Where and Why the United States is Fighting the “War on Terror”

As the "war on terror" enters a third decade, it is time to reevaluate the aims and utility of relying on military force around the globe.

Putin’s Real Fear: Ukraine’s Constitutional Order

The US must take a stand for a population risking its survival or forced to flee in a fight for the ideals that Americans have long espoused.
Altar with signs and candles on stairs

López Obrador’s Last Chance to Protect Mexico’s Press

In Mexico, journalists call for meaningful reform to address the epidemic of deadly violence against the press.

U.S. Real Estate Secrecy Links Global Corruption, Domestic Inequality

"Slowing or even stopping the torrent of opaquely-sourced cash currently flowing into the real estate industry would be a huge victory in the fight against corruption – and could…

Amid New Trial, End of Chinese Espionage “Initiative” Brings Little Relief to US Academics Caught in Net of Fear

Chemistry Professor Franklin Tao faces fraud prosecution in just one example of the many important issues that remain unresolved,
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