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.
4,801 Articles
It’s Time to End the “Debate” on Encryption Backdoors
Yesterday, on Lawfare, FBI Director James Comey laid out his concern that the growing adoption of strong encryption technologies will frustrate law enforcement’s ability to conduct…
DOD’s Unbalanced Stance on Precautions Against Harming Civilians
Editor’s Note: Just Security is holding a “mini forum” on the new Defense Department Law of War Manual. This series includes posts from Sean Watts, Eric Jensen, and others.…
It’s Time for a Review of the Forever War
It’s been more than 5,000 days and the global conflict started after September 11 shows no sign of ending. Last week, the Pentagon released its latest National Military Strategy…
Germany’s Highest-Ranking Prosecutor on the Legality of Drone Strikes – and Much More
In a must-read decision, the Federal Prosecutor General in Germany (the equivalent of the U.S. Attorney General) examines in great depth the legality of a drone strike that killed…
Wiretap Numbers Don’t Add Up
Last week, the Administrative Office (AO) of the US Courts published the 2014 Wiretap Report, an annual report to Congress concerning intercepted wire, oral, or electronic communications…
10 Questions about the UK Spying on Amnesty International
Yesterday, the UK’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal informed Amnesty International that British intelligence agency GCHQ had spied on the human rights organization by intercepting…
OPM, CISA, and the Cybersecurity Oxymoron
In Congress, bad policy ideas are like vampires: They are very hard to kill because they’re always somehow coming back from the dead. Such is the case with this year’s iteration…
Video and Highlights From a Conversation on Countering Violent Extremism
Just Security and the Project for the Study of the 21st Century (PS21) recently hosted an extremely interesting discussion between ex senior UN counter terrorism official Richard…
Law of War Manual: Information or Authoritative Guidance?
Editor’s Note: Just Security is holding a “mini forum” on the new Defense Department Law of War Manual. This series includes posts from Sean Watts and others. After reviewing…
There’s No Reason to Hide the Amount of Secret Law
Last week, President Obama announced a new policy that would allow private parties to pay ransoms to hostage takers. The policy was established through an executive order and an…
The DOD Law of War Manual’s Return to Principles
Editor’s Note: Just Security is holding a “mini forum” on the new Defense Department Law of War Manual. This post is the first in a series. Stay tuned for more from Eric…
The Defense Department Stands Alone on Target Selection
A deeply troubling provision in the Defense Department’s new Law of War Manual suggests that commanders are not legally required to minimize civilian casualties when selecting…