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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Senate Foreign Relations Committee FY2024 State Department Budget Hearing: Key Takeaways

"An overarching concern of the senators was the organizational capacity of the State Department to respond nimbly to [global] challenges."
People wave flags in support of Donald Trump

7 Experts on Trump’s Call for Protests and Social Media Threat Models

Comparing expert analyses of the threat of domestic extremist violence with assessments by social media platforms.
Close up image of a woman's hand typing on a computer keyboard in the dark.

Two Supreme Court Cases Could “Break the Internet”: What Role Should Free Speech Play?

Instead of demonstrating eagerness to reconsider Section 230, the Justices appeared unsure about how exactly the law should be interpreted.
The missiles are aimed at the sky at sunset. Nuclear bomb, chemical weapons, missile defense.

How Does IHL apply to New Technologies in Outer Space?: Expert Q&A from Stockton Center’s Russia-Ukraine Conference

The real challenge in the space domain is avoiding escalation in the first instance, such as by reducing threats and developing transparency and confidence building measures.
Exterior View of the International Criminal Court building in The Hague.

Is Amending the Rome Statute the Panacea Against Perceived Selectivity and Impunity for the Crime of Aggression Committed Against Ukraine?

Many supporters of a STCoA argue for a two-tiered approach because a quick fix of the Court’s jurisdictional regime is unrealistic.
New York County Supreme Court. New York

Survey of Past New York Felony Prosecutions for Falsifying Business Records

A survey of years of New York criminal cases, which shows that the prosecution of falsifying business records in first degree is common.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 9, 2022.

Чим обернеться на практиці ордер МКС на арешт Путіна?

Will the ICC prosecutor's logic behind going “straight to the top” of the Kremlin with arrest warrants be borne out in practice? It would be a mistake simply to chart aspirations.…
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather outside the main gate of Baghdad's Green Zone on July 27, 2022 to protest.

Remaking Iraq: How Iranian-Backed Militias Captured the Country

The U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003 brought about a painful and gradual transition from dictatorship to deeply flawed parliamentary democracy. This story is now…
a collage of photos of the defendants held by the D.C. Department of Corrections on the day of the January 6 attack. 

Profiles of the January 6th Inmates in the D.C. Jail

Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and James Comer (R-Ky.), Chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee,  recently announced their intent to arrange for a congressional…
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 9, 2022.

How will the ICC’s Arrest Warrant for Putin Play Out in Practice?

Will the ICC prosecutor's logic behind going “straight to the top” of the Kremlin with arrest warrants be borne out in practice? It would be a mistake simply to chart aspirations.…
An American soldier stands by a flag in Sadr City, Iraq.

Remembering the Iraq War: Has Washington Really Learned the Lessons?

Unless lessons from the Iraq War are fully understood and retained, the United States runs the risk of blundering again.
(L) Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference after the sentencing hearing of the Trump Organization at the New York Supreme Court on January 13, 2023 in New York City (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images); (R) Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before his speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 4, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The Manhattan DA’s Charges and Trump’s Defenses: A Detailed Preview

Analyzing DA Bragg's options for felony charges, including campaign finance crimes and conspiracy to prevent an election, and Trump's defenses.
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