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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3,156 Articles
A security guard walks through a mass grave site in a large agricultural area known as Mashrou al-Rabet in Meji on September 27, 2021 in Tarhuna, Libya. Tarhuna city was a previous stronghold for the Al-Kani militia affiliated with warlord Khalifa Haftar. From June 2021, following the defeat of Haftar's forces in the western areas of Libya, the Libyan government found 193 dead bodies and had identified 96 of them, in mass graves in Tarhuna and south of Tripoli. (Photo by Nada Harib/Getty Images)

The Global Fragility Act Takes Another Step Toward Conflict Prevention, But Bigger Strides Remain

Conflict prevention routinely takes a back seat to immediate crises, and will require resources and attention to legal and bureaucratic gaps.
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The Just Security Podcast: Is Evan Gershkovich’s Arrest the End of Free Press in Russia?

Evan’s arrest is Russia’s latest attempt to intimidate foreign correspondents reporting in the country. The threats are common tactics.
Donald Trump walks behind police officers

In Trump Case, Procedures Exist to Safeguard the Former President’s Right to an Impartial Jury

"[E]nsuring that Trump receives a fair trial while maintaining his Sixth Amendment rights is a necessary step on the path toward accountability."
A man in Tehran holds a local newspaper reporting on its front page the China-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore ties, signed in Beijing on March, 11 2023.

Saudi Arabia and Iran: The Politics of Détente

Senior diplomats from Saudi Arabia and Iran are meeting in Beijing tomorrow to discuss the next steps in restoring diplomatic relations following the Chinese-brokered agreement…
Woman walking on New York City sidewalk

Transnational Repression Increasingly Reaches Into the United States

In countering transnational repression, "[c]ivil litigation provides a pathway for holding ... authoritarian regimes directly accountable, not just their hired guns, if significant…
A man walks through Hebrew Street in the Albanian city of Berat on February 6, 2019, in front of the city's tiny Solomon Museum, the country's only Jewish history museum. (Photo by GENT SHKULLAKU/AFP via Getty Images)

Albanian Museum to Celebrate Jewish Life and “Righteous” Who Gave Shelter During Holocaust

The Muslim-majority country is known as the only Nazi-occupied territory during World War II where the Jewish population increased.
Chew, wearing a dark suit and blue tie, prepares to testify before Congress.

How Lawmakers Hope to Sidestep Existing National Security Reviews to Target Foreign Investment

Though regulatory efforts have worked to monitor the app’s potential national security threats so far, politicians growing impatient.
Manhattan Criminal Courthouse with increased presence of NYPD officers and media crew on March 31, 2023, the day after former President Donald Trump was indicted. Photo credit: Melissa Bender

The Broad Scope of “Intent to Defraud” in the New York Crime of Falsifying Business Records

"While there are other legal hurdles for the Manhattan DA to cross in the indictment of the former president, this element of the relevant offenses poses no obstacle..."
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The Just Security Podcast: An Indictment of Donald Trump

The alleged indictment raises important questions about efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election and the rule of law. 
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The Just Security Podcast: The Mayor of Les Irois

Determined victims and creative lawyers used a U.S, law, the Torture Victims Protection Act, to hold a powerful mayor accountable.
Facade of Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in Manhattan

Survey of Past Criminal Prosecutions for Covert Payments to Benefit a Political Campaign

Surreptitious third-party payments are routinely prosecuted as campaign finance violations in New York and nationally under various statutes.
U.S. Special Operations Commander Gen. Bryan Fenton, Assistant Defense Secretary for Special Operations Christopher Maier and Gen. Paul Nakasone, commander of U.S. Cyber Command and director of the National Security Agency, sit in at tables to testify before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Congress Should Limit, Not Expand, Irregular Warfare Authority

Section 1202 of the NDAA is an overbroad authority that risks widening the aperture for U.S. forces to engage in and direct combat in unauthorized, foreign wars.
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