civil society
190 Articles

Withholding Consent: Dominant Parties, Opposition Failure, and Youth Disengagement in Southern Africa
Lagging turnout of young voters in southern Africa should be understood not as apathy, but as a refusal to endorse existing political choices.

Civil Society Donors Should Heed the Risks of FATF Grey List-Induced Panic
The Financial Action Task Force's designations of countries to thwart terrorism financing more often result in governments suppressing civil society than in real reform.

Liberia’s Long-Awaited War Crimes Court: Momentum – and Risks
Liberia must harmonize its war crimes bills into strong legislation and secure real resources, or the long-promised court risks stalling again.

Welcome to Just Security’s Reinvention Blueprints
Just Security's Reinvention Blueprints series features expert proposals to rebuild U.S. government institutions so they serve the public and meet today's challenges.

Building Governing Machinery for the Next Pro-Democracy Moment
Domestic policy experts offer principles for reinvention meant to inform the work of policymakers, advocates, and governance rebuilders as they redesign federal institutions.

Ukraine’s Successes Make the Case for How Democracy Support Enhances U.S. National Security
Ukraine's survival in the face of Russia's aggression demonstrates how U.S. support to civil society and democratic institutions becomes a national security asset.

After a Failed U.N. Counterterrorism Strategy Review, What Other Paths to Structural Reform?
The U.N.'s periodic review of its counterterrorism strategy again leaves human rights protections weak and its sprawling system unchecked.

Authoritarians Keep Telling Us What They Fear. We Should Listen.
Research shows that, more than military strikes or sanctions, authoritarians fear support for independent media, anti-censorship tech, and civil society.

As American as International Law
A Fourth of July barbecue demonstrates how international law shapes daily life, from weather forecasts to global trade, and where that architecture is under strain.

The Intersection of Sanctions and Corruption Symposium
Just Security and Perry World House bring together experts to examine how sanctions and anti-corruption policy interact and how to make accountability tools more effective.

Corruption Sanctions Have Their Flaws. Impose Them Anyway.
Corruption sanctions may not break networks or force behavioral change. But as part of a broader diplomatic strategy, they protect U.S. systems and amplify reform efforts.

Sanctions Gaps and the Governance of Corruption Risk
U.S. foreign policy expert examines how overlapping U.N., U.S., and EU sanctions regimes create legal gray zones and why that breeds corruption risk.