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 AFP journalist views a video on January 25, 2019, manipulated with artificial intelligence to potentially deceive viewers, or "deepfake" at his newsdesk in Washington, DC.

Protecting the Information Space in Times of Armed Conflict

What, if any, limits exist concerning digital information operations in armed conflict? Does the humanitarian legal framework adequately capture the protection needs that arise…
Insurgents gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6, 2021 in Washington, DC. Many wear bright orange caps, others wear red MAGA caps and wear American flags. Most people do not wear face masks.

What We Can Learn from Global Policy About Preventing Domestic Extremism

Overcoming the deep polarization that exists in the United States will require many “improbable dialogues.”
Members of Yemen's Saudi-backed pro-government forces search for land mines in Yemen's war-ravaged western province of Hodeida on March 1, 2021. One person uncovers an object in the dirt delicately.

Put Yemen’s Civil Society – and Accountability — at the Center of the Push for Peace

Restoring US leadership and values on Yemen requires more than to stop selling bombs to the Saudis. Yemenis need the chance to confront impunity.
Secretary Blinken Visits the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service Command Center. People wear face masks as they stand near desks with five to seven computer screens in semicircles.

Letting Diplomacy Lead US Counterterrorism: What Would That Look Like?

The goal should be to establish diplomacy and aid as co-equal tools, to make counterterrorism more comprehensive, sustainable and, eventually, less violent.
A man waves a QAnon conspiracy flag at a protest of coronavirus skeptics, right-wing extremists and others angry over coronavirus-related restrictions and government policy on August 29, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. People do not wear face masks.

Right-Wing Extremism: An International Threat

While right-wing extremism is rightly viewed as a domestic problem, it is also an international challenge.
An activist of Vesna (Spring) youth movement fills a bag with two thousand paper planes, as a symbol of Telegram, during a flash-mob near the Roskomnadzor building in Saint Petersburg on April 13, 2018, as they protest against the blocking of the popular messaging app "Telegram" in Russia, after it refused to give state security services access to private conversations.

Telegram: A Growing Social Media Refuge, for Good and Ill

It is used in some quarters as a tool of constructive political resistance, and in others abused to spread disinformation and illicit content.
Demonstrators from several environmental groups including Extinction Rebellion and Sunrise Movement demand broad action at a youth-led climate strike near City Hall on December 6, 2019 in New York City. A large banner reads, “Climate Change” but “Climate” is crossed-out and “System” is written in its place to read “System Change.” Youth carry additional signs reading, “Respect your mama” with an Earth symbol; “We cannot say we did not know;” “Hey Exxon, stop burning my future;” “No more excuses;” and more.

How Domestic Civic Movements Could Reshape US Foreign Policy

Nonviolent and inclusive, they can provide the energy, dynamism, and power-shifting ability needed to address the world’s interconnected crises.
Volkan Bozkir, President of the seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly, chairs the General Assembly meeting that hears a report of the Economic and Social Council.

UN Security Council Won’t Respond to Myanmar’s Coup, But the General Assembly Can

Responding to the coup in Myanmar calls for ambitious out-of-the-box thinking, and an understanding that such pressure is unlikely to come from the United Nations Security Council.
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is seen on a television monitor as he testifies before the bipartisan September 11 commission, formally known as the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon The U.S., on Capitol Hill March 23, 2004 in Washington, DC. Photographers can be seen kneeling on the floor with cameras and officials sit at tables around the room.

How a January 6 Commission Can Succeed: What Empirical Research Tells Us

Research on more than 50 independent commissions sheds light on optimal design for commission, selection of its commissioners, and their work ahead.
Voters cast their ballots at a Masonic Lodge on June 5, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. The voting booths are simple tables with privacy barriers and are connected by wires with lights for each one.

Outlaw Participation in Foreign Attacks on U.S. Elections

Attacks on U.S. elections will become a dangerous new normal if Congress does not make it a crime.
Nobel peace laureate Leymah Gbowee, head of the Women in Peacebuilding Network (WIPNET), stands in front of a sign calling for peaceful elections in Monrovia on October 5, 2017. The sign reads, Don’t Touch Our Peace.”

Biden Needs a Foreign Policy Focused on Sustainable Peace

War and weapons cannot solve today’s most urgent challenges. They require peacebuilding, diplomacy, and conflict-sensitive development.
White House Counsel Don McGahn stands behind Trump during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House October 17, 2018 in Washington, DC.

Unpacking Biden Administration vs. Congressional Tension in the McGahn Case

Awkward transitions to “unified government” and what it portends.
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