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.
4,711 Articles
When Moral Compulsion is Characterized as a Crime of Aggression
As a number of my colleagues have been debating the lawfulness of the United States striking a Syrian airbase with 59 Tomahawk missiles in response to a purported chemical weapons…
“The Mother of All Bombs”: Understanding the Massive Ordnance Air Blast Weapon
The Massive Ordnance Air Blast Weapon (MOAB, known informally as the “Mother of All Bombs” and formally as the Guided Bomb Unit, or GBU, 43/B) has attracted a great deal of…
Censorship at the Border Threatens Free Speech Everywhere
Defending one’s political and religious beliefs to government officials is an obligation we associate with life in authoritarian regimes, not open societies. It’s becoming…
Norms Watch: Tracking the Erosion of Democratic Traditions (Apr. 7-14)
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…
What Military Actions Are Trump’s vs. Obama Holdovers?
President Donald Trump has been in office for 83 days, and almost everywhere you look, the US military is escalating its operations. US warships are steaming toward North Korea,…
A Microsoft Ireland Fix: Time to Act is Now!
It’s been almost a year since the Second Circuit issued its decision in the Microsoft Ireland case, ruling that U.S. warrant authority pursuant to the Electronic Communications…
Canary in the Coal Mine: Trump Administration Undermines a Global Anti-Corruption Initiative
Those nervously watching to see whether the United States will uphold its existing international commitments to protect human rights and address corruption have had their eyes…
International Law is Failing Us in Syria
Recent events in Syria –President Bashar al-Assad’s horrific chemical weapons attack on civilians in Idlib, and the Trump administration’s subsequent missile strikes –…
How High Was the Bar for Getting a FISA Warrant to Monitor Carter Page?
During summer of the 2016 presidential campaign, the FBI obtained a warrant from a secret court, known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, to monitor a Donald Trump…
Tracking the White House’s Reasons for Bombing Syria
The Trump administration has offered a handful of reasons why it decided to bomb a Syrian government airfield last week. The Department of Defense says the strike damaged or destroyed…
The Trump Administration Fails Tillerson’s Test
In recent weeks the Trump administration has approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain and warmly welcomed Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to the White House,…
Apples and Oranges–Obama’s and Trump’s Plans to Strike Syria for Chem Weapons Use
One of the most important policy and legal questions moving forward is whether the Trump administration needs to seek congressional approval for military strikes in response to…