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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3,366 Articles
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau (L) speaks at a lectern as AUC Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf (R) stands at the right, both of them in front of an American flag and multiple green flags of the African Union.

New U.S.–AU Infrastructure Working Group Could Thrive With Strong Values-Based Safeguards

If the Strategic Infrastructure and Investment Working Group is to succeed, the United States must anchor its offerings in rules-based governance.
Two women wearing t-shirts under bulletproof vests, helmets and handcuffs, are escorted by armed guards on either side, walking up stairs to a court building. The vests and helmets have the letters BJMP on them, for the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, part of the country's Ministry of the Interior.

The Philippines Is Jailing Journalists in the Name of “Terror Financing”: Why the World Should Be Alarmed

The case of a jailed journalist in the Philippines is a warning for how efforts to counter terrorism financing can be manipulated into political tools of repression.
Statue Of Liberty

The Spirit of Liberty—Horace E. Read Memorial Lecture

Finding the spirit of liberty in the United States requires looking beyond the leadership of elite institutions. Among ordinary citizens, there’s no scarcity of civic courage.
Demonstrators hold a protest in Houston, Texas, against a bill that would forbid Chinese nationals from buying properties in Texas, on February 11, 2023.

Alien-ating Asians in 21st-Century Land Laws

“Alien land laws” frame Asian land ownership as a national security threat despite minimal evidence, echoing the United States’ historical exclusionary policies.
A protestor holds up a pair of handcuffs in front of a law enforcement officer as people gather during a demonstration and vigil outside the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, on January 28, 2026. (Photo by Moisés ÁVILA / AFP via Getty Images)

Congress Should Stop DHS’s Lawless Misuse of Mandatory Immigration Detention

The Fifth Circuit upheld an illegal ICE mass detention policy, deepening a legal and humanitarian crisis that Congress can and must fix.

The Taken

Inside the ICE Detention Pipeline for US Citizens and Residents: From Minnesota to Texas
Students sitting in a doorway and wearing chains and T-Shirts that say "Sanctuary Campus Now" react as police officers approach.

DHS Budget Talks in Congress May Touch “Sanctuary Cities,” With a Long History

Congress has little authority to rewrite local limits on cooperation with federal immigration enforcement -- and shouldn’t try to do so.

The Just Security Podcast: What Does it Really Mean to be a U.S. Territory?

Neil Weare and Adi Martínez-Román join Tess Bridgeman to explore democracy, equity, and self-determination in U.S. territories and beyond.
Visualization of cybersecurity

U.S. Withdrawal from International Cyber Organizations Weakens Global Cooperation Against Cyber Threats

The U.S. withdrawal from international cyber organizations will hamper intelligence sharing, coordinated response, and joint capabilities.

Expert Survey on DHS, CBP, and ICE Reforms

Experts detail targeted reforms and legislative pathways Congress could enact to improve ICE and CBP accountability.
A woman is arm-in-arm with a younger woman, both crying, with others behind them heads bowed, as they leave a church in a procession, a white coffin behind them being carried on the shoulders of police officers in dark dress uniforms.

Guatemala’s New State of Emergency Isn’t Just About Gangs

President Arévalo's state of emergency provides him a short window to use the gang crackdown to also crack open the country's structures of impunity.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents detain a man during an immigration enforcement operation in a Minneapolis neighborhood on January 11, 2026.

Minnesota ICE Enforcement: Tracking Alleged Constitutional Violations in Court

Sworn declarations in ACLU’s Minnesota lawsuit describe masked ICE agents using violent, warrantless arrests targeting Somali and Latino US citizens, legal residents.
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