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.
4,713 Articles
After ICJ’s “Certain Iranian Assets” Judgment, Iran and United States Both Claim Victory
"[T]he Court determined that it could not order the United States to unfreeze nearly $1.75 billion in Iranian central bank assets but obligated the United States to compensate…
The Teixeira Disclosures and Systemic Problems in the U.S. Intelligence Community
As intelligence leaders assess the damage from the Teixeira leaks, Congress should ask tough questions to hold the executive branch accountable and prevent future leaks.
The Power of Jimmy Carter’s Vision for Universal Human Rights
There was a time when the US didn't promote human rights or even consider it much of an objective in foreign policy at all.
The State Department Should Provide Congress the Dissent Channel Cable on the Afghanistan Withdrawal
An ambassador responds to a colleague: release, with appropriate redaction, would support, not inhibit, State Department accountability.
NATO Must Fast Track Bosnia’s Membership
A member of the country's tripartite Presidency makes the security case for admission, saying Finland's entry shows the risks and benefits.
Lessons from COVID-19: Intelligence Failures and How to Prepare for the Next Global Crisis
The pandemic was a global intelligence failure, and the world still has not learned the lessons to prepare for the next crisis.
The Global Fragility Act Takes Another Step Toward Conflict Prevention, But Bigger Strides Remain
Conflict prevention routinely takes a back seat to immediate crises, and will require resources and attention to legal and bureaucratic gaps.
Congress Can Investigate the Afghanistan Withdrawal Without Compromising a Vital Dissent Channel
Forcing release of such material would chill candor, intimidate potential dissenters from speaking up, and inject an element of gamesmanship.
In Trump Case, Procedures Exist to Safeguard the Former President’s Right to an Impartial Jury
"[E]nsuring that Trump receives a fair trial while maintaining his Sixth Amendment rights is a necessary step on the path toward accountability."
Transnational Repression Increasingly Reaches Into the United States
In countering transnational repression, "[c]ivil litigation provides a pathway for holding ... authoritarian regimes directly accountable, not just their hired guns, if significant…
How Lawmakers Hope to Sidestep Existing National Security Reviews to Target Foreign Investment
Though regulatory efforts have worked to monitor the app’s potential national security threats so far, politicians growing impatient.
The Broad Scope of “Intent to Defraud” in the New York Crime of Falsifying Business Records
"While there are other legal hurdles for the Manhattan DA to cross in the indictment of the former president, this element of the relevant offenses poses no obstacle..."