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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3,157 Articles
A photo of a white male police officer wearing sunglasses and police uniform, standing next to two vehicles in front of the ornate tan and gold gates of Mar-a-Lago, with an American flag flying to the left of the gates. Palm trees wave in the background against a stormy sky.

Expert Backgrounder: Criminal Statutes that Could Apply to Trump’s Retention of Government Documents

The DOJ obtained a search warrant for Mar-a-Lago. What underlying crimes might have justified the search? Experts survey the possibilities.
Ian James Mwai (R), 23, browses social media platforms on his mobile phone with a member of his outfit of social media influencers at an office in Thika town, central Kenya on April 26, 2022. He was in the vanguard of the growing ranks of influencers feverishly punching keyboards and hoping to tilt the outcome of the country's high-stakes elections, being conducted today, Aug. 9. The rising dominance of apps like Twitter and Facebook has opened a new front in Kenyan politics, with candidates desperate to draw the attention of the country's 12 million social media users.

Banning Content Platforms is Not a Solution to Hate Speech on the Internet, Even When the Platform is Meta

Governments should recognize that pulling the plug on the internet – or on an entire social media platform – is not a viable solution to the spread of hate speech or misinformation…

America’s Forgotten Balkan Allies

Before Russia opens yet another war theater through its proxies, the US must recalibrate policy to restore influence in the region.
Members of the DC National Guard are deployed outside of the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6, 2021. - Donald Trump's supporters stormed a session of Congress held today, January 6, to certify Joe Biden's election win, triggering unprecedented chaos and violence at the heart of American democracy and accusations the president was attempting a coup.

The Biden Administration’s Senseless Opposition to Congress’s Effort to Prevent Abusive National Guard Deployments

Section 516 of the NDAA is a commonsense reform that would prevent a president from borrowing the National Guard of a political ally to use it as a domestic police force in an…
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 25: Red paint splattered by abortion rights activists is seen on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 25, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health overturned the landmark 50-year-old Roe v Wade case and erased a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Retrenchment of the Federal Right to Abortion: How Dobbs Threatens National Security

The Dobbs decision has broad national security implications, increasing the risk of political violence and damaging US standing in the world.
Tunisian protesters carry signs on July 22, 2022, during a demonstration along Habib Bourguiba avenue in the capital Tunis, against their president and the upcoming July 25 constitutional referendum.

Tunisians, Fed Up With `Non-Delivering Democracy,’ Set to Vote on Retrograde Constitution: Civil Society’s Role

A civic leader says the coming referendum reflects the frustration of citizens who want a democratic system but need economic prosperity too.
A compilation of images pertaining to the January 6th House Select Committee.

Highlights from the Criminal Evidence Tracker’s Reports on Seven Hearings by the January 6th Committee

A compendium of what each major witness said during the January 6th Hearings of relevance to two federal crimes and one state (Georgia) crime.
Trump, shrouded in shadows, raises a hand.

The Easiest Case for the Prosecution: Trump’s Aiding and Abetting Unlawful Occupation of the Capitol

Albert W. Alschuler, Julius Kreeger Professor of Criminal Law Emeritus at Univ of Chicago, writes about the failure to respond to takeover of U.S. Capitol.
Tamil members of Sri Lanka's parliament hold placards during a demonstration outside the President’s office in Colombo on February 24, 2022, to protest against the acquisition of their land in northern and eastern regions under the guise of protecting archeological sites. They hold signs in a variety of languages. One reads, “Stop the land grab! of Tamils under the guise of Mahaweli”

Sri Lanka’s Real Reckoning is Yet to Come

Accountability for atrocities against Tamils and curbing Sinhala Buddhist nationalism are key to the island’s stability and prosperity.
(L to R front row) General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo "Hemeti", deputy chairman of Sudan's Sovereignty Council, speaks with council chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan during a reception ceremony in the capital Khartoum on October 8, 2020 upon the arrival of the government negotiating team from Juba where the government and rebel groups had earlier signed a landmark peace deal. - Sudan's government and rebel groups had on October 3 signed a peace deal at a ceremony in the South Sudanese capital Juba, aimed at ending decades of war in which hundreds of thousands have died. (Photo by Ebrahim HAMID / AFP) (Photo by EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images)

Anti-Coup Strategies Should Address Civilian Coup Allies

A robust anti-coup strategy must place the same pressures on civilian collaborators that military coup leaders face.
Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi (L) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following their meeting in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022. Draghi was among the European Union's most powerful leaders visiting Ukraine on June 16 and embracing its bid to be accepted as a candidate for EU membership, in a powerful symbol of support in Kyiv's battle against Russia's invasion. (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Путін розглядає політичну кризу в Італії з точки зору потенційної вигоди для послаблення підтримки України

Російські лідери явно зацікавлено спостерігають за політичною кризою.
Prime Minister of Italy Mario Draghi (L) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy following their meeting in Mariinsky Palace, in Kyiv, on June 16, 2022. Draghi was among the European Union's most powerful leaders visiting Ukraine on June 16 and embracing its bid to be accepted as a candidate for EU membership, in a powerful symbol of support in Kyiv's battle against Russia's invasion. (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Putin Eyes Italy’s Political Crisis for Potential Benefits in Peeling Away Support for Ukraine

If Prime Minister Draghi's governing coalition collapses into early elections, the next government may be far more sympathetic to Russia.
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