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.
3,333 Articles

The Supreme Court Just Made It Easier to Conceal Abuse of Migrant Detainees
The U.S. Supreme Court has reversed a half-century of precedent on citizens’ rights to know what their government is doing, by making it more difficult for the public to probe…

Outside the Beltway: An Experiment on Human Rights & Potential CLOUD Act Agreements
What questions remain in assessing the human rights concerns of potential CLOUD Act agreements? How would executive branch lawyers approach these questions?

Five Takeaways from Talking Feds’ Mueller Preview Panel
As we prepare for the upcoming congressional testimony of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, we thought it would be helpful to tune into the Talking Feds podcast, which taped a series…

Policing, U.S. Style: With Little Idea of What Really Works
Until we better analyze police strategies, policies, and technologies, and learn, in a quantifiable way, what works and what doesn’t, we are not truly advancing public safety.…

Canada is Starting to Outlaw Far-Right Groups, and It’s About Time
When the Canadian government listed Blood & Honour, a neo-Nazi group, and its armed branch, Combat 18, as terrorist organizations last month, it marked the first time that any…

Norms Watch: Damage to Democracy and Rule of Law in June 2019
Editor’s Note: Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of those…

One Key Instrument to Confront China and Climate Change
The United States has an opportunity to begin tackling both the security and economic threats posed by China and those posed by climate change, through one action: investing in…

Trumping Transatlantic Relations, EU Struggles to Get Its House in Order
Whoever will be selected to run the European Commission or become the president of the European Council, the partnership with the United States will be one of the top priorities.…
After Sudan’s Attacks on Protesters, Crucial Next Steps for the U.S.
(Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles on the Sudan security forces’ June 3 attacks on peaceful demonstrators and what may happen next. The first article detailed…

Assange’s Indictment: A Threat to Everyone
Had the precedent of the Justice Department’s prosecution of Julian Assange existed in the past, there are numerous cases that could have resulted in a prosecution under the…

As Sudan Deadline Looms, a Playbook for a Massacre
The live ammunition, tear gas, and severe beatings that Sudanese security forces unleashed on peaceful demonstrators on June 3 shook the country’s pro-democracy movement and…

Looking to 2020: A Presidential Pledge for Gender Parity in National Security Appointments
Fifteen of the Democratic candidates running for president have signed a pledge that they will seek gender parity in their national security appointments.