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
Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Are Not the Same Thing
Counterterrorism and homeland security are not the same thing. It is not surprising though that the two get intertwined and conflated. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)…
Norms Watch: Damage to Democracy and Rule of Law in February 2019
Welcome to the latest installment of Norms Watch, our series tracking both the flouting of democratic norms by the Trump administration and the erosion of those norms in reactions…
The Missing Khashoggi Report: A President Can’t Choose to “Decline” His Constitutional Role to Accommodate Congressional Oversight
Trump's decision to ignore Congress' deadline on responsibility for Jamal Khashoggi's murder misunderstands congressional oversight. In the complex dance that is the accommodations…
The Seven Step Program for Fighting Disinformation
A full-spectrum strategy is needed to proactively prepare for the next wave of social-media and internet-based psychological disinformation operations.
Trump’s Invoking Obama Signing Statement as Reason Not to Report to Congress on Khashoggi Murder: A Roundup of Expert Views
The Trump administration has refused to submit a report to Congress, as required by federal statute, providing a determination whether Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin…
Shifted Burdens: The U.S. as Detainer of Last Resort
The United States should resist become a detainer of last resort when states refuse to repatriate their nationals being detained in Syria.
Mueller’s Findings: Why DOJ Non-Disclosure Policy and Grand Jury Secrecy May Not Apply
As the Watergate scandal deepened in November 1973, President Richard Nixon declared: “People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook.” Nixon was right.…
Exclusive: Full Text of Bipartisan Declaration of Former Senior U.S. Officials Refuting President’s Claim of a National Emergency at Southern Border
Document: Full Text of Declaration of Former Senior U.S. Officials on National Emergency Declaration for Southern Border.
“Just fall, that is all!” Is Sudan on the Brink of Change?
Sudan has entered the third month of widespread and sustained protests across the country, and there is now some indication that President Omar al-Bashir’s grip on power is weakening.…
What’s the Mission in Syria? The Answer May be Illegal and Without U.S. Allies’ Support
Statements about a US "peacekeeping" force and a mission to counter-Iran raise serious legal questions and threaten to unravel U.S. allies' support for future U.S. operations inside…
Military Construction Funds and Local Politics that Will Shape GOP’s Stance on Trump’s Emergency Declaration
The politics of military construction will make the upcoming Senate vote on Trump's national emergency declaration a tough one for GOP members: they face a series of bad options…
Power Struggle Over the Wall: Presidential Emergency Powers vs. Congressional Power of the Purse
Powerful piece by former Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer.
Bottom Line Up Front:
"If I had been directed, when I was Chief Financial Officer…