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.
4,757 Articles
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.…
General Martins on the Shrinking Military Commissions
Marty’s important post from last night includes a link to yesterday’s statement by General Mark Martins, Chief Prosecutor of the Guantánamo military commissions, in…
An “Islamic State” of Mind
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…
On Rereading the Torture Report – SSCI Focus Gave Too Many Perpetrators a Pass
I have an opinion piece in today’s New York Times Sunday Review provocatively titled (by the NYT editors), “Did the Torture Report Give the CIA a Bum Rap?” Why now, and why…
Any Effort to Counter Violent Extremism Must Deal with Religion
Academically, I agree with the thrust of the Obama administration’s efforts not to invoke religion and thereby lend legitimacy to thugs and criminals. The problem with such a…
Six Questions Congress Should Ask the Administration about its ISIL AUMF
[Cross-posted at Lawfare] With congressional hearings on the Obama Administration’s proposed Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) for the Islamic State on the horizon,…
Washington’s New Drone Sales Policy Could Export US-Style Drone War
This week, the United States released a new policy for the export of US-made drones. The policy conditions any drone sale on a pledge by the foreign buyer government that it will…
Think Again: The Limitations in the President’s Draft AUMF Do Have Meaning
Several prominent commentators have argued that the limitations in President Obama’s draft AUMF against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) would be meaningless if…
Guest Post: CVE Efforts Should be Based on Facts, Not Flawed Theories
Ed. note: This guest post was produced as part of the Brennan Center for Justice’s interview series, Rethinking Intelligence. Yesterday, the White House kicked-off a three-day summit…
The Shrinking Military Commissions, Redux
Back in January, I wrote a post about the Convening Authority’s decision to “disapprove” the findings and sentence in the Guantánamo military commission trial…
AUMF, “Associated Forces,” and Slippery Slopes: Two More Data Points
I recently examined, in an essay at Foreign Policy, the unusually expansive definition of associated forces and successor entities in the President’s proposed authorization to…