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
Rows of American flags in front of the U.S. Capitol building.

Why We Serve: Upholding the Democratic Process

"[D]emocracy must continuously be defended and ... our service to our community does not end but instead shifts in its form. This is something veterans have long known and appreciated."
An activist holding a placard reading "No to imitation of judicial reform!" stages a picket in front of Kiev's President Hotel during the Congress of Judges of Ukraine as law enforcement officers guard the site on March 9, 2021. Activists protested against the meeting, which was to elect members of the High Council of Justice and the Constitutional Court, whom demonstrators suspect of corruption. (Photo by SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Fight Can Overcome US Skeptics

Amid likely GOP control of the House, strong steps would help Ukraine get the assistance it needs, while advancing reforms and EU accession.

Just Security Podcast: The FBI’s January 6th Intelligence Failures

The January 6th Committee is wrapping up its work, which has provided a detailed account of the individuals and groups involved in the attack. Thanks to the Committee, we know…
Protesters wave red National League For Democracy (NLD) flags and raise three-finger salutes on February 09, 2021 in Yangon.

Southeast Asia’s Leaders Should Work Toward a Freer Internet

Southeast Asia’s heads have begun to gather in Cambodia for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where they will also be joined by other world leaders…
FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies during a hearing before Senate Judiciary Committee at Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill August 4, 2022

The Missing Review of FBI’s January 6 Intelligence and Law Enforcement Failures

The country needs an examination of the FBI's organizational and individual flaws that helped bring us to January 6th.
Attorney General Merrick Garland departs after delivering a statement at the U.S. Department of Justice.

Mr. Attorney General, It’s Too Late to Appoint A Special Counsel

An "Open Letter" to Attorney General Merrick Garland in the matter of United States v. Donald J. Trump.
Person walks across blue tape arrows on a gymnasium floor, surrounded by voting stations

Election Denying Officials Who Refuse to Certify Election Results Could Face Prosecution

"Election officials who are considering abusing their power in service of election falsehoods do so at their legal peril."
Internally displaced women carry jerrycans in the makeshift camp where they are sheltered in the village of Erebti, Ethiopia, on June 09, 2022.

As Another “Never Again” Scenario Quickly Approaches in Tigray, the Biden Administration Must Hold Parties to Their Word

With millions facing death, time is of the essence for the United States to demonstrate its commitment to the people of Tigray.
A US army battle tank drives with other infantry-fighting vehicles across dunes.

How Support to Partner Forces Enables Secret War

With security cooperation as a means of pursuing U.S. military objectives becoming more frequent, Department of Defense-led security cooperation, particularly under §§ 333, 127e,…

Canvassing Deserts: When Obstacles to Reaching Urban Voters Become Voter Suppression

Political canvassers operate at the grassroots of participatory democracy. They are coming in droves this election cycle, flocking to homes in swing districts. Their door-knocking…
Members of an environmental activist group hold a sign at the front of a march in Dakar on October 29, 2022.

Climate Change Diplomacy Has an Authoritarianism Problem

"[T]he ultimate goal of international climate negotiations is to provide current and future generations with the opportunity to live safe, healthy, prosperous, and dignified lives.…
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stands behind a podium as he addresses the parliament to mark the opening of the new legislative year, in the stark white hall of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on October 1, 2022. Erdogan warned that Turkey would not ratify the NATO membership bids of Sweden and Finland until the two Nordic countries "kept" promises they had made to Ankara. (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Turkey’s Erdoğan Deploys Sweden and Finland’s NATO Membership Bids to Further His Repression

Any accession deal must ensure the potential newest members don’t flout the rule of law that helps underpin the strength of the alliance.
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