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
McMaster on the Ethics of War
On Monday, Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster agreed to serve as National Security Advisor to the President. McMaster has written and spoken extensively on a range of topics, from…
How Trump’s Team Can Use Obama’s Counterterrorism Playbook to Defeat al-Qa’ida and ISIL
The First of Many Challenges. The U.S. military’s January 29 raid in Yemen vividly illustrates the high-stakes challenges involved in counterterrorism operations – particularly…
Dissecting Reince Priebus’ Denials of Russian Connections
Reince Priebus, the White House chief of staff, appeared on three Sunday morning shows to respond to the news this week of repeated connections between Trump affiliates…
Presidents Day at Just Security
In honor of Presidents Day, Just Security will be on an abbreviated schedule with a lower volume of posts than normal. If any major, time-sensitive developments occur, we will…
Trump’s Travel Ban Could Let Repressive Regimes Decide Who Can Enter US
In an apparent attempt to moot the multiple court challenges to his Executive Order on immigration, President Donald Trump said Thursday that he’d issue a new immigration order…
Will Protests Against Trump and Congressional Republicans Matter?
For grassroots organizing, it helps to be in the opposition. We are beginning to see a blossoming of liberal and left wing organizing to oppose President Trump and the Republican…
Norms Watch: Tracking the Erosion of Democratic Traditions (Feb. 10-17)
Editor’s Note: 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…
The President and the Peril of Politicizing our Military
After his inauguration, President Donald Trump didn’t take long to boast of his purported political support from the military. In his speech to the CIA – given in front…
Congratulations and Tribute to Commander Michael J. Adams–from Current and Former Senior Government Attorneys
Mike Adams, who will be familiar to many Just Security readers for his writings, is also familiar to many for his distinguished career in the service of our nation. At a ripe young…
Trump Offers New Denials on Russia Contacts, Including: “Haven’t made a phone call to Russia in years”
In his 75-minute-long news conference Thursday, President Donald Trump responded to several direct questions about his and his associates’ connections with Russia during the…
There’s a Strong Case for a Special Prosecutor to Investigate Trump’s Russia Ties
What the U.S. Intelligence Community has concluded was a covert Russian operation targeting the U.S. presidential election to help President Trump win was an extraordinary assault…
The Draft Order on Multilateral Treaties and the Trump Administration’s Failure to Understand the Human Rights of National Security
On January 25, the New York Times reported on a leaked draft executive order (EO) draft to impose a moratorium on joining new multilateral treaties and establish a review committee…