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.
3,152 Articles
Colombian Peace Efforts on Life Support Amid the COVID-19 Response
In the context of COVID-19 emergency measures, Latin American democracies are like high-risk patients that suffer from at least four underlying conditions: authoritarian trends,…
UN’s “Counter-Terrorism Week” Misses the Mark in Marginalizing Civil Society
The UN is ignoring the calls of more than 400 CSOs just a month ago for a different approach to effectively counter terrorism. The outcome will be clear.
Forced Family Separation During COVID-19: Preventing Torture and Inhumane Treatment in Crisis
The US government is threatening forced separation of migrant families again, this time with the added coercion of risking COVID exposure if they stay together.
The Odd Couple at the Center of the U.N.’s Counterterrorism Growth
Outsized funding from Saudi Arabia and Qatar underlies key weaknesses in UN efforts, illustrated in this first virtual "CT Week" at the United Nations.
Iraqi Researcher’s Death Adds Urgency to Penalizing Iran-Backed Militias With New U.K. “Magnitsky” Law
Hisham al-Hashimi exposed human rights violations and corruption. The British penalties would reinforce similar US measures and support Iraqi reforms.
U.S. “National Security” Must Apply to the Entire Nation
The US history of racial discrimination creates a domestic threat far more serious to some of its citizens than those posed by external antagonists.
Rehabilitating and Reintegrating Child Returnees from ISIS
After the collapse of the self-styled Islamic State militant group (ISIS), many people were left homeless and stateless in refugee camps in Syria and Iraq. Nearly 49,000 children…
Patriotism and Justice on an Unusual Independence Day
Former Acting Attorney General, who served in George HW Bush and Clinton administrations and as an advisor to several Presidents, calls for officials to resist unethical directives,…
It’s Time to Stop the Use of Tear Gas Against Civilians
It was a clear day on June 1 in Washington, DC when thousands of people protesting racial injustice and police brutality, in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death, congregated…
The Demise of Government: The Grim Task of Undoing Trump’s Damage
We have begun to see the unwinding of modern America. The effects will not simply evaporate when this president leaves office.
Transitional Justice, Race, and the United States
As a scholar of transitional justice, I am heartened by efforts to de-exceptionalize the United States and to bring race and anti-Black racism into conversation with international…
Decoy Amendment Jeopardizes the Moment for Renaming Confederate-Dubbed Bases
The measure would undermine otherwise bipartisan efforts to address these issues, including several worthy alternative proposals.