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 banner from EIPR reading, “Free EIPR Staff.” Cropped greyscale photographs of four EIPR staff that have been detained are shown over the banner – Patrick Zaki, Gasser Abdel Razek, Mohammad Basheer, and Karim Ennarah.

Defending Human Rights Is Not Terrorism: The Egypt Arrests as a Case in Point

The UN's global counterterrorism system creates a permissive and enabling environment that sustains and facilitates abuse of rights defenders,
A road sign entering Fort Bragg going from Connecticut Avenue in Southern Pines, North Carolina, in March 2010. The sign reads, “US Army Fort Bragg Military Reservation – All persons and vehicles entering or departing this installation are subject to search.”

Trump’s Veto Threat Over Confederate-Named Bases Erodes U.S. Security and American Values

Given the historical significance of this moment and the alternatives for commemorating real, heroism, Congress has a moral and practical obligation to act.
A policeman stops US Actress Mia Farrow and Theary Seng, head of the Centre for Social Development, as they attempt to enter the Tuol Sleng Genocide museum in Phnom Penh, 20 January 2008. They hold white flowers and people with cameras crowd around them.

Cambodian Rights Activist and 55 Others Face Trial as Crackdown on Dissent Intensifies

Given the control that Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party wields over the judiciary, their odds of getting a fair trial are slim.
Officials from the South Korean Central Election Management Committee and election observers count votes cast of Parliamentary election amid the coronavirus outbreak on April 15, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. Everyone wears a mask properly over their mouth and nose.

COVID-19 and International Law Series: Human Rights Law – Civil and Political Rights

[Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Just Security series, COVID and International Law. All articles in the series can be found here.] States around the world have had…
Redacted text on a sheet of paper.

How a New Administration—and a New Congress—Can Fix Prepublication Review: A Roadmap for Reform

The new administration, and the new Congress, should act more decisively to reform this broken system.
Egyptian members of the press sit outside the headquarters of the journalists syndicate in Cairo on January 25, 2009 with their cameras on the ground, in protest against police interference in their work. Many hold images of police brutality.

How to Fight Truth Decay: Protect the Truth Tellers

What better way of protecting the truth than by offering a safe haven for journalists who risk their lives to inform us.
Ruth Amoah and her workers at Moments Chocolate workplace remove husks from roasted cocoa beans on June 18, 2019, in Accra.

Nestlé & Cargill v. Doe Series: American Courts Do Not Have Universal Jurisdiction Over All Wrongs Everywhere

[Editor’s Note: This article is part of a Just Security series on the consolidated cases of Nestlé USA, Inc. v. Doe I and Cargill Inc. v. Doe I, which was argued before…
The white supremacist group, the Proud Boys, rally against the results of the U.S. Presidential election outside the Georgia State Capitol on November 18, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. They do not wear face masks, and one wears a MAGA hat. A person appearing to be a sheriff or police office speaks with their leader, Enrique Tarrio, who wears a bullet proof vest.

Could America’s Electoral Process Foment Political Violence?

Scholars of political violence and regime transition caution that there is potential for further escalation of non-state violence in America because, while Election Day passed…
Members and supporters of The Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture hold a rally to demand Congressional action to stop torture on Capitol Hill March 10, 2008 in Washington, DC. A banner reads, “Torture is un-American.”

On Accountability and the Next Presidency, Starting With the Cabinet

To truly “Build Back Better,” as Biden promised, he must not nominate, appoint, or otherwise hire anyone for his administration who has seriously abused power.
Letters reading, “Department of Justice” on the outside wall of the Justice Department building. Plants can be seen out of focus in front of the letters.

The Next Attorney General’s Allegiance Must Be to the Rule of Law

The key credentials of the next AG should be significant prosecutorial experience at the federal or state level and an abiding fidelity to the apolitical administration of justice.
Transition Mali President Bah Ndaw without a face mask is seen with Malii Interim Vice President Colonel Assimi Goita, who wears a face, mask during his inauguration ceremony at the CICB (Centre International de Conferences de Bamako) in Bamako on September 25, 2020. Other soldiers with face masks sit and stand behind the two.

Mali: The “Good” Coup d’État?

Will the military, having violated democratic norms, work with a civilian-led government to bring the country back to rule of law and peaceful development?
A truck displays posters against the "False Positives in Colombia", extrajudicial executions during the Democratic Security program of the Alvaro Uribe government during a protest on August 06, 2020 in Bogota, Colombia.

US-Opposed Probe of Colombia’s Uribe Is Essential Step in Road to Peace

Uribe was released under pressure last month, but attempts to thwart transitional justice will only undermine efforts to sustain the 2016 peace agreement.
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