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.
4,604 Articles
Former Chair of U.S. National Intelligence Council: Learning the Right Lessons from Afghanistan
"The example of the Iraqi army — which quickly collapsed in the Islamic State’s 2014 blitz across northern Iraq — ought to have sharpened the concerns about the Afghan…
Amid Haiti’s Deepening Crisis After Earthquake, US Must Heed Citizens on Aid and Political Change
Assistance will be ineffective unless it's directed to the right people and comes with backing for civil society to fix the broken state.
CIA’s Former Counterterrorism Chief for the Region: Afghanistan, Not An Intelligence Failure — Something Much Worse
"While it’s certainly convenient to depict the shock and miscalculation U.S. officials claim over Afghanistan’s tragic, rapid fall to the Taliban as an intelligence failure,…
Expert Backgrounder: Recognition and the Taliban
An expert analysis of the international law of recognition of governments, and four diplomatic options states have in addressing the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, Lest We Forget
As the UN Security Council hosts an emergency meeting, world leaders must understand what the abandonment of the Afghan people involves.
![Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants crowd into the Herat Kabul Internet cafe applying for the SIV program on August 8, 2021 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Someone holds a small sign to the camera reading, “To the attention of Janus/Sterling Former employees! For SIV and HR letter your queries please email to below emails address: [redacted emails] Avoid coming to our office! We cannot help you! Do not waste your time.”](https://i0.wp.com/www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/GettyImages-1234596603-1-scaled-e1628887710695.jpg?fit=1024%2C522&ssl=1)
Abandoning Afghan Allies: The Latest Chapter in Shameful History of US in Afghanistan
Existing US refugee and SIV programs are insufficient for Afghan refugee crisis. The US must massively expand programs to bring Afghans to safety.
The Broader Significance of the Justice Dep’t Opinion on Congress Obtaining Trump Tax Records
Unpacking the Office of Legal Counsel's opinion, how it lines up with past administrations, what it means for future congressional oversight.
Cybercrime is Dangerous, But a New UN Treaty Could Be Worse for Rights
First proposed by Russia, this dangerous proposal has gained enough support at the United Nations for negotiations to begin early next year.
A Flaw in the Attorney General’s Policy Against Seizing Reporters’ Records
The new Guidelines hamstring prosecutors’ ability to counter the worst espionage, writes George Croner.
GAO Faults DHS for Failing to Designate Jan. 6 as a Protected Event in Advance of Attack
DHS erroneously considered activities at the Capitol “routine congressional business” and failed to properly consider threat environment, GAO report says.
Course Correction Still Needed on Anti-Torture Obligations
The prohibition on torture is absolute. The government’s commitment to upholding it must be too.
`In Today’s Belarus, Living Outside of Politics is No Longer an Option’
The US and the EU must act swiftly, before more people are hurt or killed and before more damage is done to the credibility of democracy.