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
Security Council meeting on peace and security in Africa, with a focus on countering terrorism and extremism in Africa.

If the US Wants to Push Back on Authoritarian Agendas at the UN, Get Counterterrorism Right

If the Biden administration is serious about promoting democracy and pushing back on authoritarianism, then it’s time for a policy response that confronts the way in which counterterrorism…
An insurrectionist gets very close to police officers at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The member of the Proud Boys wears a shirt reading “Anti-ANTIFA,” a helmet, face covering, and googles on top of the helmet. One police officer wears a face mask, but the other does not. Other insurrectionists stand behind the Proud Boys member.

The Capitol Assault and the Continuing Threat: A Podcast Conversation with Elizabeth Neumann

What was President Trump’s likely awareness of social media postings by extremists who signaled their intent to commit violence and assault the Capitol in advance of January…
Soldiers in action during a drill on day three of the China-Russia counter-terrorist Cooperation-2017 on December 5, 2017 in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region of China. They hold guns and speak in a circle.

Violent Extremism and the Governance Challenge

Revisiting "Human rights impact of policies and practices aimed at preventing and countering violent extremism," a recent assessment of the P/CVE field released last year at the…
Female Israeli and Palestinian members of the "Parents Circle Families Forum" association, an organisation made up of more than 600 families who have seen a family member die in the conflict, destroy a symbolic wall representing the Israeli security barrier that runs through the occupied West Bank, in Beit Jala near the biblical town of Bethlehem, on March 10, 2017.

New Aid for Israeli-Palestinian Peacebuilding Aims at Issues Underlying Security

The Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act provides an unprecedented $250 million over five years for economic and people-to-people projects.
Family members and relatives take part in the funeral procession of Afghan journalist Rahmatullah Nekzad at Khoja Omari district of Ghazni province, on December 22, 2020. The group appears to walk uphill and fills the span of the block.

Unprecedented Threats to Journalists & Civil Society Activists Are Threatening Afghanistan

Who benefits from the killing of journalists, human rights activists, and civil society members in Afghanistan? What purposes could it serve and for whom?
A phone shows a download/open button for Parler.

De-platforming Is a Fix, But Only a Short-Term One

Conspiracy theorists and disinformation remain in the world and online. At the end of the day, solving that problem will require more than just a technical solution.
January 6th insurgents watch Trump on a billboard projection or television. This is a screenshot from the Parler video and shows the backs of peoples’ heads as they watch Trump.

“Fight for Trump”: Video Evidence of Incitement at the Capitol

New video footage scraped from Parler, and former federal prosecutors' reactions.
Side by side photos of Roger Stone, Steve Bannon, and Paul Manafort.

Gaps in Trump’s Pardons: How the Biden Administration Can Still Pursue Justice

Former FBI General Counsel and top prosecutor in Special Counsel's Office explains how the pardons for Bannon, Manafort, Stone left the door open for Justice Department to now…
Antony Blinken at his confirmation hearing to be Secretary of State before the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 19, 2021 in Washington, DC.

U.S.-ICC Relations Under a Biden Administration: Room to Be Bold

The Trump administration approached the ICC with open and unproductive hostility. Can Biden reset relations? Kip Hale says yes: first, remove sanctions. Second, investigate and…
Zimbabwe's President Emmerson Mnangagwa inspects the guard of honour from a car during the Defence Forces Day celebrations held at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on August 14, 2018.

The American Insurrection Was a Gain for Dictators, and a Loss for Zimbabweans

The Jan. 6 Capitol riot marked a setback for millions of people around the world who yearn for more democratic societies where their voices matter.
President Biden speaks into a microphone in front of an American flag.

On Biden’s Planned Summit: Humility, Not Hubris, Can Save Democracy

The voices of those who have suffered most from democracy’s ills are crucial to understanding – and addressing -- the impact of backsliding laws, policies, and institutions…
Pro-democracy protesters hold up a sign showing a meme of U.S. President Elect Joe Biden and "No 112" on them during a rally at the Nonthaburi Police Station on December 08, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand.

US Human Rights Policy: How to Really Build Back Better

The Biden administration must create a system in which human rights and democracy policymaking is embedded and integrated in its decision-making machinery.
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