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.
4,622 Articles
Major New Step Forward For International Debate on Autonomous Weapons Systems
Today, the 117 state parties to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) agreed to hold the first ever intergovernmental meeting on autonomous weapons systems. The…
Preventive Detention and Human Rights Law: A Way Out of Bagram or Another Dead End?
With the drawdown of US forces in Afghanistan, one of the thorniest problems involves the detention of individuals who cannot be criminally tried but nevertheless pose an acute…
Afghanistan Post-2014: Closing Bagram
With the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan coming to an end, and the Bilateral Security Agreement now under review, officials are under pressure to do something many observers may…
Drone Reporting Requirement in the Intelligence Authorization Act and Congress’ Ability to Compel Public Disclosure
Last week, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted 13-2 to approve the 2014 Intelligence Authorization Act. Included in this appropriations bill is a new measure that would require…
The Khadr Appeal [UPDATE: and the Hicks Appeal]
In October 2010, Omar Khadr pleaded guilty to four violations of the Military Commissions Act of 2009. Khadr, who is presently serving out his sentence in Canada, has now appealed…
The Coming Hicks and Khadr Appeals: Yet Another Military Commission Headache
As various media outlets reported earlier this week, Australian David Hicks–one of the first detainees charged and convicted (via plea) under the Military Commissions Act…
Key Issues in the New Senate Bill to Require White House Drone Strike Casualty Reports
This week, the Senate Intelligence Committee approved the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The legislation contains an important section which would…
The NDAA: Congress’ Opportunity to Take First Steps Towards Closing Gitmo
The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan next year will mark a milestone on the path to ending the so-called “war on terror.” But as a practical matter, what will…
Pakistan Test Fires Missile to Take Down Drones
It might have been easy to doubt the veracity of the Pakistan government’s public protestations against US drone strikes in light of secret agreements between the two governments…
The Process of Transferring Drone Operations from the CIA to the Pentagon: Slow Track, Just Stalled, or Terminal?
On Tuesday evening, Foreign Policy published an exclusive report, with a headline suggesting that the administration has terminated the idea of transferring drone operations from…
Spy v. Spy?: The coming push to create an EU spy agency to counteract the NSA
In an interview on Monday, a senior EU official, Commissioner of Justice Viviane Reding unveiled, in broad brushstrokes, a proposal to create a spy agency to counteract the NSA.…
Newsweek’s Wayward Cover Story on Snowden and Chinese Cyber Hacking
Newsweek’s current cover story, “How Edward Snowden Escalated Cyber War with China” by Kurt Eichenwald, is an important read. Eichenwald makes two claims: Snowden’s impact:…