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.
4,599 Articles
Cybersecurity in the Intelligence Community’s 2015 Worldwide Threat Assessment
Last week Director of National Intelligence James Clapper released the 2015 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the US Intelligence Community and testified about it before the Senate…
Women We Want to See at This Year’s Aspen Security Forum
The Aspen Security Forum (ASF), the annual alpine conclave of the West’s national security elite, has become known as one of the foremost venues for shaping the dialogue on national…
The Backroom: An Inside Account of UN Sec-General’s Statement on US War in Syria
President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Image credit: White House/Pete Souza Several posts at Just Security have focused on international legal questions raised…
“New Torture Files”: Declassified Memos Detail Roles of Bush White House and DOJ Officials Who Conspired to Approve Torture
An alleged CIA prison near Kabul, Afghanistan. Image credit: Trevor Paglen via Wikimedia Commons. Last week, I wrote, both here and in the New York Times, that after reading all…
The Intellectual—But Not Political—AUMF Consensus
[Cross-posted at Lawfare] A real consensus is developing on the contours of an appropriate AUMF—at least among academics and other commentators. It wasn’t always this way.…
Sunset and Supersede: Striking the Right Balance in the AUMF against ISIL
This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous week or looks…
End of War = End of Detention? Taliban detainee files renewed habeas petition
At year’s end, I examined here the possible legal significance of the President’s declaration on December 28 that “our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending,…
Just Security Q&A with Rep. Adam Schiff on ISIL AUMF
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, has become a prominent voice among lawmakers demanding that Congress authorize the fight against…
Sexual Torture, Rape, and Gender-Based Violence in the Senate Torture Report
The ramifications and significance of the Senate Torture Report continue to spin out in various fora. While I have noted that the use of certain torture methods used at Guantanamo…
DOJ Inspector General Complains About FBI Foot-dragging
Late last week, the Inspector General (IG) for the Justice Department sent a letter to Congress complaining of the FBI’s refusal to set a timeline for turning over documents…
Associated Forces and Co-belligerency
While Congress is expected to adopt a new Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), debate continues on the scope…
Just Security at the Future of War Conference
The New America Foundation and Arizona State University will be hosting their first annual Future of War Conference in Washington, DC on Tuesday, Feb. 24, and Wednesday, Feb. 25.…