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
How the “Arms Sales Oversight Act” Could Prevent American Arms from Contributing to the Next Overseas Crisis
The debate over U.S. complicity in Yemen’s humanitarian catastrophe is coming to a head in the Senate, with a series of votes on the Sanders-Lee-Murphy war powers resolution.…
Upcoming “Caravan” Hearing Will Continue International Scrutiny of U.S. Immigration Policy
There are two hours this week that could make an incremental but important difference in the course of U.S. immigration policy: when the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights…
Uptick in U.S. Air Strikes on Buildings in Afghanistan Raises Questions
U.S. military aircraft bombed over 60 buildings in Afghanistan in October alone, reviving longstanding concerns that these kinds of strikes could risk higher numbers of civilian…
How the Senate Should Move Forward on Resolution to Withdraw from Yemen War
The Senate Resolution on Saudi Arabia and US support for the Yemen war is a most welcome development, but it has flaws that need fixing to avoid unintended consequences -- and…
Them’s Fightin’ Words? State Dept. Ramps Up Iran Rhetoric
The Trump administration's repeated use of the phrase, “threat to international peace and security,” when talking about Iran, should be monitored carefully.
U.S. House Investigations v. White House Slow-Walk: Scenarios
Democrats in the U.S. House are preparing to wield their new majority power in January. While they lack the control of both chambers necessary to push through legislation, they…
New Proof Surfaces That Family Separation Was About Deterrence and Punishment
Newly obtained government documents reveal that the underlying intent of the Trump administration’s brutal practice of separating migrant families at the border was, in fact,…
Can Congress Subpoena Trump to Testify?
Now that the Democrats have won control of the House of Representatives, there will be a flood of congressional investigations of waste, fraud, and abuse within the Trump administration,…
What Not To Believe About Interpol—Exploding Five Myths
If Interpol is to be fixed so that it operates according to its own rules, it is necessary to know the difference between how it actually works, and the myths that are widely believed.
Why Americans Should Care About Mueller’s Counterintelligence Probe—Aside from any Criminal or Political Implications
Stephanie Douglas, former Executive Assistant Director for the National Security Branch of the FBI, writes that Mueller's core mission is obscured by media focus on criminal and…
Legal Analysis of “Cabinet Memo” on the Military’s Role at Southern Border
Avoidance of military involvement in civil society is part of America's political culture and heritage. The new White House order on U.S. Army role at the southwest border threatens…
No Clean Hands: Reaction and Counter-Reaction in the Iranian-Saudi Proxy War in Yemen
"President Trump’s statement on Tuesday makes finding a political compromise that much more difficult. By painting the war in Yemen as black and white – innocents and offenders…