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.

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4,757 Articles
A giant gray rectangular warehouse-like building, with some green-roof areas, is ringed by internal roads and flanked on the left by smaller accessory buildings, all surrounded on at least three sides by forest.

It Takes More Than Two to Tango: Creating Effective Export Controls on Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment

The U.S. needs to lead a new export control regime -- coordinating with its partners and allies -- to constrain China’s ability to produce advanced and foundational chips.
U.S. President Donald Trump walks over to Marine One after landing at Morristown Airport in Air Force One on June 5, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey. President Trump is spending the weekend at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster after holding an event at Custer Farms in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin.

Breaking the Cycle: Transitional Justice in America After Trump

A post-Trump America must finally turn transitional justice tools inward and reckon with failures it has long refused to face if it aims to repair, not simply ignore.
The Herbert C. Hoover Federal Building which houses the U. S. Department of Commerce is seen from the Washington Monument on June 3, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Vetting Foreign AI Talent: Security Without Exclusion

With risk-based personnel vetting practices, U.S. AI labs can keep recruiting the world’s best researchers while safeguarding national security.
A local resident walks past billboards with the slogans "Key to Peace," "Key to Security," and "Shared Future in Peace", displayed along the boulevard on the protocol route ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara, on 26 June 2026.

Will Trump Take the Win at NATO’s Ankara Summit?

It is an open question whether the Trump administration seeks to rebalance NATO or disengage the U.S. from European security.
Several people wearing various colors of t-shirts, including bright orange or black, stand with signs at the base of tall columns, the photo shot from below, with banners between the columns behind them reading "Jimmy Kimmel Live"

How Defending Free Speech Can Unite Unlikely Allies

The Trump administration's threats to First Amendment rights have inspired a broad front defending free speech, freedom of the press, protest rights and more.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) and India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar shake hands as they stand in a ceremonial room in front of their respective country's flags. A spray of yellow lilies, red carnations and greenery decorates a surface in front of them.

U.S. Export Control Unpredictability Is Testing the Limits of U.S.-India Tech Cooperation

The U.S. shift away from a rules-based export regime amid a race for AI leadership is causing India to hedge against a heavy reliance on American technology.

Combat Experience as a Strategic Resource: Lessons of the Red Army Purges

Implications of Pete Hegseth's forcing out over two dozen senior U.S. military officers, collectively totaling over 900 years of military experience.
Rubio, in a dark suit, talks to al-Otaiba, in a traditional white Arab robe and head covering, as the two walk away from the camera toward what appears to be the arched outlines of a modern building. Rubio has his left hand on al-Otaiba's right shoulder in a friendly manner.

U.S., U.K. Won’t Stop UAE’s Support to Sudan’s RSF by Tiptoeing Around It

Governments and the private sector need to find the courage to apply reputational pressure on the UAE for supporting a force the U.S. cites for genocide in Sudan.
Ecuadorean soldiers stand atop an armoured vehicle at the La Ferroviaria command post in Duran, Guayas province, Ecuador on March 15, 2026.

A Dangerous Legal Loophole: Consent is Not Enough for U.S. Military Activities in Latin America

States should not be able to consent to others using force that they cannot use themselves, and intervening states should not blindly rely on host state consent.
The Declaration on Independence as seen on aging paper.

Reflections from Today’s Judiciary on the Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

Many actions taken by the current administration echo the grievances laid out in the Declaration of Independence against King George III.
An Iranian woman walks past a mural depicting late Iranian supreme leaders Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (L) and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (R) in Tehran on June 18, 2026.

Time to Repeal INARA and Move Forward with the Iran MoU

The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act should be repealed or amended. The alternatives are extending a disastrous war of choice or ignoring the law.
This photo taken on July 16, 2025 shows the logo of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) in Kingston, Jamaica.

Deep Sea Mining and the Logic of Contracting Around the Commons

A non-binding U.S.-Japan agreement on deep-sea mining highlights the weaknesses and vulnerability of the International Seabed Authority.
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