Executive Branch
Just Security’s expert authors provide analysis of the U.S. executive branch related to national security, rights, and the rule of law. Analysis and informational resources focus on the executive branch’s powers and their limits, and the actions of the president, administrative agencies, and federal officials.
4,605 Articles

“Fight for Trump”: Video Evidence of Incitement at the Capitol
New video footage scraped from Parler, and former federal prosecutors' reactions.

Gaps in Trump’s Pardons: How the Biden Administration Can Still Pursue Justice
Former FBI General Counsel and top prosecutor in Special Counsel's Office explains how the pardons for Bannon, Manafort, Stone left the door open for Justice Department to now…

Strengthening the Global Dimension of Biden’s COVID-19 Rescue & Recovery Plan
Breathing new life into the global response to the pandemic should be at the top of the Biden administration's agenda.

The American Insurrection Was a Gain for Dictators, and a Loss for Zimbabweans
The Jan. 6 Capitol riot marked a setback for millions of people around the world who yearn for more democratic societies where their voices matter.

Shifting Contours, But the Same Solution: Swiftly Returning to the Iran Nuclear Deal
While the landscape between Iran and the United States has changed dramatically over the last few months, the solution to Iran’s growing nuclear stockpile and increasing tensions…

Blinken Sails Through Queries on Iran, China, Russia, NATO, and More in Secretary of State Confirmation Hearing
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee's Republicans and Democrats alike were mostly welcoming as they probed his approach to the world's trouble spots.

Salvaging US Refugee Law in 2021: The Case for Tackling the Problem of Discretionary Asylum
Our statutes improperly give U.S. government officials broad discretion to deny asylum even to those who are determined by the government to face persecution in their home countries.

On Biden’s Planned Summit: Humility, Not Hubris, Can Save Democracy
The voices of those who have suffered most from democracy’s ills are crucial to understanding – and addressing -- the impact of backsliding laws, policies, and institutions…

Toward A More Responsible US Arms Trade Policy: Recommendations for the Biden-Harris Administration
Biden pledged a foreign policy that would restore U.S. moral leadership. Ending U.S. complicity in human rights abuses, civilian harm, and humanitarian crises through the structural…

What Should Be Addressed in Austin’s Confirmation Hearing for Defense Secretary?
Some of the top defense experts and thinkers offer their thoughts on what issues they’d like to see addressed and what questions they’d like to see asked at retired Gen. Lloyd…

US Human Rights Policy: How to Really Build Back Better
The Biden administration must create a system in which human rights and democracy policymaking is embedded and integrated in its decision-making machinery.

MLK Believed “No Justice, No Peace”
Arguments that the protests over the killings of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and countless others betray King’s legacy are not only in bad faith, but plainly wrong.