Diplomacy

Just Security’s expert authors offer analysis of diplomacy and its role in addressing global challenges, from armed conflicts to international crises and more. Our coverage includes U.S. foreign policy, international organizations, and multilateral diplomacy related to critical global issues.

Highlights:

An Iranian woman walks past a mural depicting late Iranian supreme leaders Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R) in Tehran on June 18, 2026.

Time to Repeal INARA and Move Forward with the Iran MoU

The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act should be repealed or amended. The alternatives are extending a disastrous war of choice or ignoring the law.
A soccer ball enters the net, as seen from behind the net, with large filled stadium in background.

More Than an Own Goal: Understanding U.S. World Cup Choices as a Message About Hard and Soft Power

The American people, as the ultimate owners of the country's soft power, can convey a desire for international engagement even as the government chooses a different message.
The US Navy warship USS Sampson (DDG 102) docks at the Amador International Cruise Terminal in Panama City on September 02, 2025. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on September 1, 2025, that eight US military vessels with 1,200 missiles were targeting his country, which he declared to be in a state of "maximum readiness to defend" itself. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP via Getty Images)

Timeline of Boat Strikes and Related Actions

A timeline that chronicles major events in the Trump administration’s campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
A bronze sign marks the visitors' entrance to the U.S. Trade Representative's office on August 18, 2024, in Washington, DC.

The Cynicism Behind the Administration’s Proposed Forced Labor Tariffs

The labor issues the U.S. Trade Representative claims to investigate are real problems. They should not become pretexts for tariffs the administration already wants.

The Mythos Recall and Washington’s Missing AI Safety Playbook

"Further evidence of the need for a regulatory system that provides a more stable equilibrium for stakeholders to operate."
A sleek industrial robotic arm reaching toward a glowing CPU chip suspended above a circuit-board surface, symbolizing artificial intelligence and machine cognition.

It’s Not too Late to Fix the AI Exports Program

The administration must treat the program as economic statecraft rather than a vehicle for green-lighting deals industry would pursue anyway.
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Gavel and scales with a US flag in the background as symbols of a jurisdiction.

Litigation Tracker: Legal Challenges to Trump Administration Actions

A public resource tracking all the legal challenges to the Trump administration's executive orders and actions.
This photo taken on July 16, 2025 shows the logo of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston, Jamaica.

Deep Sea Mining and the Logic of Contracting Around the Commons

A non-binding U.S.-Japan agreement on deep-sea mining highlights the weaknesses and vulnerability of the International Seabed Authority.
Two riders on a motorcycle ride from the right of the image to the left, in front of a monument depicting the silhouettes of soldiers in berets, rifles resting against their shoulders, marching from right to left, with one soldier in front holding a flag, also in silhouette, all against a backdrop of a wall painted in wide vertical swaths of green, yellow and red. At the left of the image, in front of the soldier holding the flag, a street vendor displays a large board of indeterminate goods.

Could the United States Make a Difference in Mali?

Washington cannot afford to neglect the lessons of past Sahelian counterinsurgency efforts as it contemplates what form a partnership with Mali’s military should take.
A close-up of arms raised and linked, hands clasped, a few donning bracelets or small tattoos, on activists wearing colorful clothing.

Protecting Environmental Rights Defenders Is Key to Giving Communities a Voice

Environmental human rights defenders must be empowered to design and implement their own forms of collective protection to shift the power imbalance.
Binders of executive orders stacked on a desk.

Collection: Just Security’s Coverage of Trump Administration Executive Actions

Coverage of key developments, including in concise “What Just Happened” expert explainers, legal and policy analysis, and more. Check back frequently for updates.
Then-U.S. Treasury Secretary Yellen sits at the center of a row of U.S. officials on the left of the image, across the table from Zambian President Hichilema, also flanked by other Zambian officials. At the far end of the flower-decked table, in the background, is a large white sign on the wall saying U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit Washington D.C. 2022.

The Lessons of Zambia’s RightsCon Cancellation for International Democracy Promotion

The once-lauded Zambian president's nixing of a major digital rights conference shows the risks of lionizing individual leaders without a backup plan.
A bronze statuette of Lady Justice, depicted with a blindfold and holding the scales of justice in her outstretched hand.

Sanctions Gaps and the Governance of Corruption Risk

U.S. foreign policy expert examines how overlapping U.N., U.S., and EU sanctions regimes create legal gray zones and why that breeds corruption risk.
Xi, at left, is seen walking alongside Putin in front of an honor guard standing at attention, dressed in formal white uniforms and caps with gold trim, holding bayonets pointed upwards.

China’s Global ‘Concierge Services’ to Strengthen Fellow Authoritarians

China's intrusive military, economic, and diplomatic aid to Russia, Iran, and others spreads autocratic practices such as secrecy, censorship, surveillance, and corruption.
A conference room meeting with people seated around a long table, water bottles and notebooks in front of them, while two large screens at the front show a remote participant and a wider view of the discussion.

The Intersection of Sanctions and Corruption Symposium

Just Security and Perry World House bring together experts to examine how sanctions and anti-corruption policy interact and how to make accountability tools more effective.
A crowd waves a red and green flag with a man's photo in the center ringed in yellow or gold. The people are standing with their backs to the camera looking toward a compound behind a wall at about the level of their heads.

In Addition to Chinese Pressure, a Backsliding Democracy May Explain Zambia’s Decision to Cancel a Major Human Rights Summit

Zambia’s cancellation of RightsCon is an indication not only of China’s influence, but also the country's own democratic erosion under a government that promised otherwise.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks alongside US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and US President Donald Trump during a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 27, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

The Pretext Behind the Trump Administration Labeling Cuba a State Sponsor of Terrorism

Cuba is not a state sponsor of terrorism. Its inclusion on the list reflects changing U.S. policy and the Trump administration's politicization of the "terrorist" designation.
A person walks in front of the U.S. Treasury Department building in Washington, D.C., on January 19, 2023.

The Weaponization of GLOMAG: How Rivals Co-opt U.S. Sanctions to Target Business and Political Opponents

The U.S. human rights and anticorruption sanctions architecture is vulnerable to exploitation by the very actors it was designed to confront.
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