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
Joint Letter from NGOs and Human Rights Groups to President Obama on Drone Program
Yesterday, a group of civil liberties and human rights groups wrote a joint letter to President Obama sharing their concerns with the U.S. drone program. The group, which includes…
Latest Snowden Documents Show NSA Tracks Americans’ Cell Location Data
Today’s Washington Post report that the National Security Agency (NSA) is gathering nearly 5 billion records a day on the whereabouts of cellphones around the world should light…
Summary of New Report from the ICRC
Last month, the ICRC released a 90-plus page report titled, “The Use of Force in Armed Conflict: Interplay between the Conduct of Hostilities and Law Enforcement Paradigms.”…
Pentagon Ends Daily Hunger Strike Reports: Whither Transparency?
In warfare, many military actions must remain secret. Calls for “greater transparency” are often too simplistic and fail to properly accommodate pressing national security…
European Court Urged to “Break Conspiracy of Silence” on CIA Black Sites in Europe
On December 3, attorneys for two Guantánamo detainees argued before the European Court of Human Rights that Poland bears responsibility for the torture, disappearance, and unlawful…
Senators Call on Obama Administration to Provide the Public More Information on Drone Strikes
Last week, just before the Thanksgiving break, Senators Wyden, Udall and Heinrich sent Attorney General Eric Holder an important Thank You note. In their Nov. 26 letter, the senators…
Iran’s Right to Enrichment
Whether Iran is possessed of a right to enrich uranium is said to be the central question in its negotiations with the P5+1. It should not be. Neither side’s argument is…
Documents on Iran Nuclear Agreement
The P5+1 have reached an historic agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. Here are some of the important texts. We will have more to say on Just Security in the coming days.…
Sixth-Month Anniversary of the President’s NDU Speech
Today marks the six-month anniversary of President Obama’s now-famous speech at the National Defense University on May 23, 2013. In his speech, the President described…
Decision Time: Key Issues in the U.S.-Afghan Bilateral Security Agreement
The U.S. and Afghanistan agreed this week on the terms for an extended U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after 2014.The Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA), which the Loya Jirga…
The D.C. Circuit and Guantánamo, Post-Filibuster Edition
I’ve written a lot (too much!) before about both the D.C. Circuit’s jurisprudence in post-Boumediene Guantánamo cases and the Supreme Court’s passivity in…
Senate Reform Proposals on Sexual Assault in the Military
The scourge of sexual assault continues to plague military policy. This week, the Senate is considering competing reform proposals that could have dramatic consequences for sexual…