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
3,154 Articles
(From L to R) Former Serbian Minister of Defence Zoran Djordjevic, then-Serbian Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin, Serbian Ambassador in Bosnia and Herzegovina Stanimir Vukicevic and President of the Serbian entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska) Milorad Dodik attend an event to promote Slavic - Serbian ties on July 7, 2017 in Bratunac, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The gathering aimed to highlight Bosnian Serb victims of the Bosnian 1992-1995 war. Bratunac is located near Srebrenica, where the genocide against Muslim Bosnian civilians by Bosnian Serbs forces took place in 1995. (Photo by Pierre Crom/Getty Images)

US Sanctions Against Serbia’s Intel Boss Should Signal a More Holistic Policy Redo

The commendable action will only have an impact as part of a broader change in the Biden administration’s posture on the Western Balkans.
A group of individuals speaking at a podium in front of cameras.

The Fulton County DA’s Options: Multi-Defendant Trial(s) and the Paths Ahead

Analyzing the risks and rewards of multi-defendant trials for the State and for the defendants.
Over the shoulder shot of an individual gaming

How Russia is Using Online Video Games to Promote the War in Ukraine

Russia's exploitation of online gaming demonstrates that virtual battlefields have a bearing on real ones.

Deciphering the Trump Indictment from the Apparent Fulton County Docket Entry

Legal experts discuss the likely charges against former President Trump and other defendants based on the apparent docket entry in Fulton County, Georgia.
Fulton County Courthouse

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Georgia Indictment of Trump

Legal experts answer questions about what to expect in the anticipated Fulton County indictment of former President Donald Trump.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, flanked by Air Force personnel, checks a Hermes 900 drone

The Legal Takeover of the Manifestly Unlawful Order Doctrine in Israel

The involvement of lawyers allows combatants to absolve themselves from thinking about human rights considerations as long as they believe the military functions as part of a democratic…
Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Kagan sit in a crowd and watch the State of the Union address. They are both wearing black robes.

John Roberts Takes Control on Voting Rights

Despite some positive developments, it is likely that ongoing and future civil-rights litigation will be contoured to satisfy, not an audience of nine, but a Chief Justice whose…
A banner calling for the departure of the French Army from Niger is seen as supporters of Niger's ruling military junta, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), demonstrate in Niamey on August 10, 2023. West African leaders on Thursday increased their threat of imminent military action against Niger after the country's coup leaders moved to consolidate their control two weeks after seizing power. At an emergency summit of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), members decided "to order the deployment of the ECOWAS standby force to restore constitutional order in Niger," its Commission President Omar Touray said. (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images),

West Africa’s Grim Trajectory

The Niger coup is part of a cascade of crises that underscore democratic backsliding and the need for a broad regional strategy.
A woman carrying a baby in a sling on her back casts a ballot at a polling station on March 26, 2022 in Mbizo township, Kwekwe, Zimbabwe, during parliamentary and local authority by-elections that were seen as a yardstick of what is to come in the 2023 general polls. (Photo by ZINYANGE AUNTONY/AFP via Getty Images)

Zimbabwe’s Impending Elections: A Challenge for International Observers

Even in the short time left before the Aug. 23 vote, there are steps the government can take to enhance the quality of the elections.
The episode title is shown with sound waves behind it.

The Just Security Podcast: An Update on the Trump Classified Documents Case

Joining the show to discuss the additional charges in the Trump classified documents case is former federal prosecutor David Aaron. 
Statue of Yahya

International Criminal Accountability for Yahya Jammeh’s Administration: The Gambia-ECOWAS Court

The government of The Gambia, ECOWAS, and the AU have a responsibility to action the decades-long justice and accountability demands of the victims and survivors of the Jammeh-era…

Anatomy of a Fraud: Kenneth Chesebro’s Misrepresentation of My Scholarship in His Efforts to Overturn the 2020 Presidential Election

"A key memorandum drafted by Chesebro -- which might otherwise appear relatively innocuous even in how it is discussed in the indictment -- laid the foundation for the scheme grounded,…
1-12 of 3,154 items

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