Recent Articles

Executive Agreements: International Lawmaking Without Accountability?
The United States has thus effectively shifted to an administrative regime for making international agreements, but it has yet to craft an adequate system of oversight and accountability…

When the Pardon Furthers the Conspiracy: Limits to the Pardon Power
As the special counsel investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election continues to close in on President Donald Trump and his closest advisors, there have been reinvigorated…

The Early Edition: January 9, 2019
Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and…

Annotation of the Pentagon Report to Congress on Detainee Abuse by U.S. Partners in Yemen
In a mere two pages of carefully parsed prose, DoD has provided what can only be described as a deliberately misleading and deceptively evasive account of U.S. and Emirati actions…

A Caution to Pentagon Officials Asked to Obligate “National Emergency” Funds
The President reportedly is contemplating declaring there to be a “national emergency” at our southern border, and directing the Department of Defense (DoD) to finance the…

Terrorists and the Southern Border: Myth and Reality
"The Intelligence Community is almost certainly not able to stand publicly behind what the White House and DHS are saying."

Trump’s Plan to Have the Military Build a Wall is Illegal
As the shutdown stretches on, the Trump administration is beginning to realize the severity of its consequences for millions of Americans, and is desperately searching for a way…

Wrecking the Government to Build a Wall
Washington has muddled into and out of shutdowns before, but this one has the potential to be dangerously historic. The current impasse may become the straw that breaks the camel’s…

The Early Edition: January 8, 2019
Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. Before the start of business, Just Security provides a curated summary of up-to-the-minute developments at home and abroad.…

Untangling the Issues in the “Transgender in the Military” Litigation
A few weeks ago, the Department of Justice made something of a splash by filing petitions for certiorari “before judgment” in three of the pending cases challenging then-Secretary…

If Trump’s Syria and Afghanistan Decisions Seem Bad, Imagine What He’d Do in a Crisis
National security advisors for presidents of both parties have developed a process over 70 years to optimize decision-making. That's particularly critical in those moments of extraordinary…

Research Shows Terrorists Aren’t Necessarily Uneducated. So How Can Education Prevent Terror?
Researchers say ideology and grievance are necessary drivers of extremism. Educators are in a position to challenge grievance narratives.