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
Letter to the Editor from Former Member of the Human Rights Committee, Martin Scheinin
[Editor’s Note: Just Security is holding a “mini forum” on the extraterritorial application of human rights treaties in light of the release of two State Department memos and…
Harold Koh’s Legal Opinions on the US Position on the Extraterritorial Application of Human Rights Treaties
[Editor’s Note: Just Security is holding a “mini forum” on the extraterritorial application of human rights treaties in light of the release of two State Department memos and…
Extraterritorial Surveillance Under the ICCPR . . . The Treaty Allows It!
[Editor’s Note: Just Security is holding a “mini forum” on the extraterritorial application of human rights treaties in light of the release of two State Department memos and…
It’s a Serious Mistake for the US Government To Maintain It Need Not Follow Human Rights Law Beyond US Borders
[Editor’s Note: Just Security is holding a “mini forum” on the extraterritorial application of human rights treaties in light of the release of two State Department memos and…
Forum on the Extraterritorial Application of Human Rights Treaties: Analyzing the State Department Memos
The New York Times, in a must-read story by Charlie Savage, provides the full text of two significant memos written by Harold Koh during his time as Legal Adviser of the State…
A Step in the Wrong Direction: The EU Parliament’s Drone Resolution
The European Parliament resolution on armed drones that calls, inter alia, for adoption of a common EU position on their use has ignited controversy. In particular, the resolution…
The Elephant in the Room: The FBI
Commissions, oversight boards, and review groups are all the rage these days. Recent weeks have seen hundreds of pages of reports evaluating American intelligence agencies, and…
A New Turn in the Story on CIA Monitoring of Senate Intelligence Committee Computers
In the late evening of March 4, 2014, McClatchy reported that the CIA’s Inspector General had asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into CIA monitoring…
The Myth of NSA Omnipotence
The world’s foremost software engineers and cryptographers are gearing up to take on the National Security Agency (NSA), hoping to develop and implement technological solutions…
Nils Melzer on Whether U.S. Citizen Abdullah al-Shami is a Lawful Military Target
The Obama Administration is reportedly evaluating whether a lethal operation against a US citizen in Pakistan is legally permissible. Last Friday an important story by Mark Mazzetti…
CIA Reportedly Spied on Senate Intelligence Committee Which May be a Federal Crime
McClatchy News is reporting that the CIA may have monitored computers that the agency provided to the Senate Intelligence Committee. The computers were used by Senate aides to…
Russia’s 2010 Military Doctrine
During the current Ukrainian crisis, when Russian intentions are opaque, it may be useful to recall significant clauses from the most recent (2010) version of “The Military Doctrine…