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.
3,363 Articles
Access to Information During a Pandemic – A Matter of Life or Death
Sept. 28 marks the first International Day for Universal Access to Information. As the pandemic reveals, access to timely and accurate information has never been more vital. And…
Bill Barr’s Misguided View of US History
His grumble that coronavirus-related restrictions constitute the greatest civil liberties violation since slavery ignores a litany of government abuses.
Trump Can’t Lawfully Use Armed Forces to Sway the Election: Understanding the Legal Boundaries
A deep dive analysis of the constitutional and statutory limits on use of any armed force in connection with the 2020 election, civil unrest, and protests.
Justifying Absolute Political Control over DOJ, Barr Promotes Myth of Unaccountable Career Prosecutor
Attorney General William Barr's inaccurate claims denigrating the ability and appropriateness of federal prosecutors to make certain litigation determinations are merely a fig…
Prepare for the Worst and Fight for the Best: A Citizen’s Guide to 2020 Electoral Interference
"Keeping in mind that one of the most effective ways to neutralize covert activity is to expose it, we hope that assessing Russia’s potential next moves will empower the electorate,…
At Least 15 Trump Officials Do Not Hold Their Positions Lawfully
As of September 2, there were at least 15 offices with acting officials even though the Federal Vacancies Reform Act time limit for those offices had expired.
What a Few Cakes Say About the US Drone Program
Fondant creations on cakes - yes cakes - provide a rare window into a largely closed culture of national security policymaking. Their creation in 2013, publication, and re-emergence…
Absentee Voting, the Military, and Our Democracy
States need significant additional federal funds to effectively implement voting by mail.
Whistleblower: DHS Suppressed Reports on Central America and Inflated Risk of Terrorist Border-Crossers
Brian Murphy’s Whistleblower complaint confirms: White House officials and political appointees in federal agencies hid carefully investigated and proven facts and substituted…
Dannehy Resignation Confirms Barr’s Intent to Use Durham Probe for Political Ends
Nora Dannehy's involvement in the Justice Department's Russia probe, being led by U.S. Attorney John Durham, gave the endeavor a veneer of legitimacy. Now, that is now gone.
Toward a New Approach to National and Human Security: End Endless War
For nearly 20 years, successive U.S. administrations have adopted a costly war-based approach to national security and counterterrorism policy that has no clear endgame in sight.…
The Disturbing Links in Trump’s Transactional Foreign Policy: A New Post-Mortem on Guatemala’s Impunity Commission
It’s a riveting — if demoralizing — quid pro quo story, and proof positive of the way corruption begets corruption and autocrats find solace in each other.