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
Is it Possible to Ban Autonomous Weapons in Cyberwar?
Political and technological developments have often spurred responses from international humanitarian law (IHL). We already have a good sense of the major questions on the agenda…
White House Cybersecurity Bill: Botnets and “Creative Lawyering”
The White House has released its new legislative proposals on cybersecurity information sharing, federal data breach notification, and amendments to cyber-related law enforcement…
Ongwen Onward to the Hague: Lord’s Resistance Army Commander to Face Justice
Media are reporting that Dominic Ongwen, the Joseph Kony deputy who defected last week from the Lord’s Resistance Army, will be transferred to the International Criminal Court…
ISIS Fighting Against Taliban: The Enemy of My Enemy Is …?
In a surprising twist, reports are emerging this week that the Islamic State (IS) is making inroads into Afghanistan, and has engaged in fighting against the Taliban there. Afghan…
Is it Really Better to be Dead than Blind?
Late last year, the U.S. Navy announced that its $40 million laser weapon is finally ready for combat aboard the special operations staging ship USS Ponce. The laser, which “zaps…
A Turning Point in the Afghan War?
[Editors’ Note: 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…
The Shrinking Military Commissions
Yesterday’s news that the Convening Authority for the Guantánamo military commissions has “disapproved the findings and sentence,” and dismissed the charges…
Text of FBI Director’s Remarks: New Details on Why “Entire Intelligence Community” has “Very High Confidence” North Korea Hacked Sony
At the International Conference on Cyber Security held at Fordham University on Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey revealed new details about why the FBI and “the entire intelligence…
Why U.S. being a party to armed conflict in Afghanistan may not end soon
Even if the administration declares the end of combat operations with the Taliban/al Qaeda in Afghanistan, will the United States nevertheless remain a party to the Afghan government’s…
ICC Fugitive In US Custody?
[An update to this post is available here, confirming Ongwen’s transfer to The Hague to stand trial]. Media and the US State Department spokeswoman are reporting that a man…
The State of Humanitarian Law in Cyber Conflict
During the recent Sony incident, politicians and pundits debated whether the cyber operations allegedly launched by North Korea were an “act of war.” Presumably, they were…
A Precedent for Post-Strike Investigations for Civilian Casualties in War
In reflecting on 2014, I thought about an overlooked moment for issues of transparency and accountability in military operations. A heated debate in international law is whether…