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The Sept. 2 attack on a boat allegedly carrying drugs has sparked widespread discussion regarding the targetability of the 11 people aboard, including two who survived the first strike, and of the drugs themselves.  Given the administration’s lack of transparency, especially from the Department of Defense, there is … Operation Southern Spear: Why the Crews, Drugs, and Boats are Not TargetableRead more

U.S. Strikes / Venezuela Unlawful Orders and Killing Shipwrecked Boat Strike Survivors: An Expert Backgrounder by Michael Schmitt, Ryan Goodman and Tess Bridgeman Professional Responsibility and the Boat Strikes by Eugene R. Fidell, Daniel Maurer and Steven J. Lepper Expert Q&A on the U.S. Boat Strikes by Tess … Digest of Recent Articles on Just Security (Dec. 1-5, 2025)Read more

It’s once again one of our favorite times of year, when Just Security Editorial Board members and editors share books that they read in 2025 and would recommend. Whether you’re looking for seasonal gifts or something to enjoy yourself this year — perhaps around a cozy fireplace or on … The Just Security 2025 Year-End Book RecommendationsRead more

Censorship rarely comes labelled as such. Instead, institutions often twist themselves to find any legal justification to defend decisions to silence artists and suppress creative expression. For over 25 years, the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) has tracked instances of art censorship throughout the United States. As art engaging questions … The (Flimsy) Legal Arguments Used to Justify Art CensorshipRead more

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news: U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS  U.S. Southern Command said that it killed four men in a strike on a suspected drug vessel … Early Edition: December 5, 2025Read more

Introduction Ninety years ago, the Supreme Court unanimously held in Humphrey’s Executor that it was unlawful for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to fire a Federal Trade Commissioner without cause. By now seeking to remove Federal Trade Commissioner Rebecca Kelly Slaughter without cause, President Trump has asked this Supreme … A SCOTUS Bench Memo for Trump v. Slaughter, the FTC Removal Case: Stare Decisis, Historical Practice, and Original IntentRead more

Evidence shows that an increasing number of Americans from all walks of life and from various economic sectors and political identities disapprove of — and are refusing to accept — mounting abuses of power and anti-democratic actions by the Trump administration. These signs, whether small and subtle or … When Loyalties Shift: Americans’ Growing Noncooperation with Federal Abuses of PowerRead more

Below is a list of questions that should be answered by U.S. government officials regarding the lethal campaign against suspected drug trafficking individuals, groups, and vessels that began on Sept. 2. The gravity of these events demands that these be answered by officials with knowledge. Note: Some of … U.S. Boat Strike Campaign: Questions Congress Should Ask Executive Branch OfficialsRead more

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news: U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS  Before the strikes on purported drug vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific began in September, Defense … Early Edition: December 4, 2025Read more

The Ethiopian government and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) signed the Pretoria Agreement three years ago, at least silencing the guns in the Tigray Region following two years of brutal war. It remains on record as one of the world’s deadliest conflicts of the 21st century, with … In Ethiopia, an Unfinished Peace Risks Betraying the People of Tigray and the Broader RegionRead more

Is it legal to use lethal force to target suspected drug trafficking boats on the high seas or kill those on board? No. The United States is not in an armed conflict with any cartel or criminal gang. That means the law of armed conflict (LOAC), also known … Expert Q&A on the U.S. Boat StrikesRead more

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news: RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE   A five-hour meeting yesterday between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared … Early Edition: December 3, 2025Read more

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news: U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS  White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt yesterday confirmed that the U.S. military took a second strike … Early Edition: December 2, 2025Read more

The Trump administration has continued its campaign of lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers at sea. To date, 83 people have reportedly been killed in 21 strikes. The strikes have met increasing scrutiny both inside the United States and abroad, with some close U.S. allies reportedly suspending intelligence … The Just Security Podcast: Murder on the High Seas Part IVRead more

At Just Security, we provide high-quality information and expert analysis to understand the world around us — from the shifting AI landscape to the future of democracy itself — at a time when the need for rigorous, fact-based analysis has never been greater. To continue our work in … Help Support Just Security on Giving TuesdayRead more

Just decades ago, the idea of artificially cooling the planet to help fight climate change was viewed as science fiction. But as climate change impacts grow more severe, and become irreversible, the once-fringe topic of Solar Radiation Modification (SRM) is increasingly in vogue. SRM is now a commercial … As Solar Geoengineering Enters its Startup Phase, Governments Must Address Emerging Security RisksRead more

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated guide to major news and developments over the weekend. Here’s today’s news: U.S. CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC OPERATIONS  Republican and Democratic members of Congress yesterday said that U.S. military officials might have committed a war crime, following … Early Edition: December 1, 2025Read more

The question of when it is lawful for U.S. military personnel to refuse an unlawful order has become a point of discussion in the political arena. Those conversations took a turn with the Washington Post and CNN reporting over Thanksgiving weekend that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth had … Unlawful Orders and Killing Shipwrecked Boat Strike Survivors: An Expert BackgrounderRead more

The lethal boat strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific have understandably received a great deal of attention, despite the fact that the text of the central document—an extensive legal analysis prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) at the Justice Department—remains under wraps. The failure to … Professional Responsibility and the Boat StrikesRead more

The Trump administration’s financial and political interventions in Argentina have been declared a success, but the consequences of these actions are still unknown and remain quite risky. In late September, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the Treasury Department’s commitment to lend up to $20 billion to Argentina’s … What Tariffs and the Argentina Bailout Can Tell Us About the Perils of Financial StatecraftRead more

According to recent media reports, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verbally ordered special forces to “kill everybody” ahead of a Sept. 2 operation targeting alleged drug traffickers in international waters. That order allegedly resulted in a follow-on “double tap” strike that killed two survivors who were clinging to wreckage. … Killing Shipwrecked Survivors is Not Just Illegal—It Endangers U.S. ServicemembersRead more

U.S. Foreign Policy With New Transit Routes and Investment, the U.S. Aims to Counter China and Russia in the South Caucasus and Central Asia by Nino Lezhava As Trump Presses for a Post-Maduro Venezuela: Questions, Lessons, and Warnings for the Aftermath by Peter J. Quaranto and Tyler Jess … Digest of Recent Articles on Just Security (Nov. 24-26, 2025)Read more

Across the world, major social media platforms are undergoing a profound and troubling shift: a structured retreat from proactive content moderation. Platforms are framing this move as a principled defense of “free speech,” but in practice, it is a deliberate choice to expose users to unprecedented levels of … The Global Retreat from Content Moderation Is Endangering Free Expression: Kenya Shows WhyRead more

Director Katheryn Bigelow’s “A House of Dynamite” rudely gives Americans one more reason to lose sleep in 2025. Weeks in, the film has generated strong reactions from those who see nuclear weapons as a critical life insurance policy — the late nuclear-weapons expert Janne Nolan termed such exponents … Could “A House of Dynamite” Spark a Public Rethink of Nuclear Risk?Read more

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news: RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE   President Trump said yesterday that “the original 28-Point Peace Plan…has been fine-tuned, with additional input from … Early Edition: November 26, 2025Read more

Across the world, we’re witnessing a transformation in how corruption operates. It’s not just about individual bribery or isolated misconduct. In many places, powerful actors are reshaping state institutions themselves— weakening oversight, insulating allies from consequences, and redirecting public power toward private gain. This deeper structural transformation is … The Just Security Podcast: Is there a Fox in the Henhouse? A Comparative Perspective of State Capture in the U.S.Read more

Major General Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, Israel’s former Military Advocate General, recently resigned amid allegations that she leaked a video allegedly showing the abuse of Palestinian prisoners at the Sde Teiman internment camp. She was later arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice, fraud, and breach of trust after allegedly … Persecuting the Prosecutors: Israel’s Military Lawyers Under PressureRead more

Signup to receive the Early Edition in your inbox here. A curated weekday guide to major news and developments over the last 24 hours. Here’s today’s news: RUSSIA-UKRAINE WAR – INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE   President Trump’s 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine now has 19 points following … Early Edition: November 25, 2025Read more

More than a year has passed since it became public that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, is under internal inquiry — conducted by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) — into allegations that he sexually abused a staff member and … There Should Be a New ICC Prosecutor Regardless of the UN Report OutcomeRead more

A new Gang Suppression Force (GSF), approved by the United Nations Security Council on Oct. 1 to address the escalating violence in Haiti, is in the process of taking over from the smaller Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission. The new force faces a daunting challenge that the … The New Anti-Gang Force in Haiti Can Enhance Effectiveness by Expanding Human Rights ProtectionsRead more