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.

× Clear Filters
3,397 Articles
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Oleg Deripaska, a billionaire businessman are seen visiting the RusVinyl Russian-Belgian joint polymer plant, near Nizhny Novgorod, 430 km. East of Moscow.

How Biden Can Defeat Strategic Corruption

An incoming president can designate strategic corruption as a national security threat, giving the Treasury Department the task of managing an interagency anti-corruption task…
Congress party activists and supporters protest against the central government's harmful agricultural reforms near the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in New Delhi on December 15, 2020. A tall barricade against the protestors is set up with a metal barrier and military personnel.

Pandemic Consequences: The Acceleration of Confrontational Politics

The disruptive potential of this trend will remain a core challenge to political stability as the world staggers toward post-pandemic life.
Just Security

A Roadmap for Reform: How the Biden Administration Can Revitalize the Office of Legal Counsel

As President-Elect Joe Biden announces his picks for cabinet positions, the Nation’s focus has increasingly turned to the challenges facing the incoming administration. One such…
The US Capitol Building is lit up at night.

Needed: A Whistleblower Protection Paradigm Shift

What should be done to provide truly meaningful and effective protections for government employees or contractors seeking to expose wrongdoing in the Intelligence Community?
A child stands through a curtain of traditional fabrics in Alamata, Ethiopia, on December 8, 2020.

To Prevent Atrocities, Break Bureaucratic Silos, Don’t Build A New One

Attempts to reduce risks of mass atrocities will be stronger if they are integrated with policy efforts to prevent conflict, address fragility, and counter extremism.
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen as Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks with Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki during a round table meeting during an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, on December 10, 2020. They stand talking, not actually sitting at the table. They all wear face masks. Behind them a wall is covered with a banner reading “European Council.”

Polish Government’s Attacks on Rule of Law Violate Not Only EU Norms but International Law

The repeated violations of fundamental rights and principles corrode the very foundations of the democracy Poland fought so hard to win.
Trump claps his hands at the Republican presidential nomination as son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner and children Eric and Ivanka Trump look on the South Lawn of the White House August 27, 2020 in Washington, DC. None of them wear face masks.

We Can’t “Look Forward” on the Trump Administration’s Abuses

When President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January, he will confront a national economic crisis and a still out-of-control pandemic. He will also face questions about how to…
The cap of the United States Capitol Building

The Failed Transparency Regime for Executive Agreements

This article is cross-posted at Lawfare.   In late October, the United States and Sudan reportedly signed a bilateral agreement “to resolve claims arising from the 1998…
The 19th Session Human Rights Council. 15 March 2012.

The UDHR, Digital Authoritarianism, and Human Rights after Trump

"A simple return to an imagined world of pre-Trump human rights is not enough."
Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov and Council of the Federation Speaker Valentina Matviyenko take a selfie in the Hall of the Order of St. George during the State Council on ecology meeting on December, 26, 2016 in Moscow, Russia.

The Overlooked Intersection of Social Media and Kleptocracy

It is remarkable that even individuals sanctioned by the United States are not explicitly prohibited from using platforms like Twitter and Facebook to speak directly to international…
Police shoot tear gas at demonstrators protesting police brutality and the murder of George Floyd. Protestors run in a panic to escape the tear gas outside St. John's Episcopal Church outside the White House. The police wear full riot gear including helmets, face shields, body shields, batons and masks. June 1, 2020 Washington DC

Revitalizing US Democracy Starts with Repairing the Right to Peaceful Assembly

Five actions the Biden administration can take to better protect the right to peaceful assembly.
Silhouettes of Patrick Zaki, an Egyptian postgraduate student at the University of Bologna, Italy, who has been detained in Egypt since February 7, 2020, sit on every chair placed in the Aula Magna of the University Library of Bologna. The silhouettes are drawn by the artist Gianluca Costantini in action to demand the immediate release of Patrick. July 16, 2020

Biden’s Global Priority No. 1: Turn the Authoritarian Tide

Any other challenge will be exponentially harder to address as long as authoritarian leaders and the militarized systems that support them have free rein.
1-12 of 3,397 items

DON'T MISS A THING. Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: