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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3,364 Articles
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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.
Journalists wearing flak jackets and carrying cameras and other equipment take shelter in a building underpass during a drone attack in the capital Kyiv on October 17, 2022, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Government officials said Kyiv had been struck four times in an early morning Russian attack with Iranian drones that damaged a residential building and targeted the central train station. (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Summit for Democracy: Trends in News Media’s Future, Forged in Ukraine

They face every obstacle. With support, they could help redefine how journalism reckons with era-defining challenges to the public sphere.
President Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Salman stand next to each other.

A Long-Forgotten Law Could Force the U.S. to Re-Evaluate its Relationship with Saudi Arabia

Section 502B(c) is a potent tool to accelerate congressional oversight of support to countries with concerning human rights records. 
A Thai runner dressed in a costume gives a three finger "hunger games" salute as thousands gather at Suan Rot Fai Park for a "fun run" against Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his government on January 12, 2020 in Bangkok, Thailand. Police estimated that more than 12,000 people joined the protest against the Prime Minister, who seized power during a 2014 coup, led a junta in the following years and was elected Prime Minister in a much-disputed March 2019 election. (Photo by Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images)

Shut Out of Democracy Summit , Thailand Prepares for May Elections as Restrictive Laws Aim to Silence Youth Activists

The vote could set the tone for democratic rights in the region, curb the junta’s influence, and return power to the people.
People take part in a demonstration outside Georgia's Parliament in Tbilisi on March 8, 2023 called by Georgian opposition and civil society groups against government plans to introduce controversial "foreign agent" legislation, reminiscent of Russian legislation to pressure critics. The calls came after more than sixty of people were detained and dozens of police officers wounded in violent clashes that broke out in the capital Tbilisi late the day before, amid fears of democratic backsliding in Georgia. Some of the protesters carry a sign that says, "Stop Russia." (Photo by VANO SHLAMOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Backsliding: Georgia’s Crackdown on Civil Society May Be Just a Start

If the Biden administration wants to curb authoritarian trends, it should maintain its heightened attention to civil liberties in Georgia.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew testifies before the House Energy and Commerce Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on March 23, 2023 in Washington, DC.

TikTok and the First Amendment

It’s unfortunately commonplace around the world for governments to invoke national security as a pretext for denying their citizens access to media. Historically, the United…
The U.S. Supreme Court building lit by sunlight against a blue sky.

It’s Time for the Supreme Court to Take Ethics Seriously

For the Court’s reputation and rule of law values, the Justices should put their own house in order, rather than have it done for them.
Just Security

Policy Alert: Iran-U.S. Hostilities Ratcheting Up in Syria

Tensions between Iran and the United States are escalating again following tit-for-tat hostilities in Syria.
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