The Just Security Podcast
Just Security is an online forum for the rigorous analysis of national security, foreign policy, and rights. We aim to promote principled solutions to problems confronting decision-makers in the United States and abroad. Our expert authors are individuals with significant government experience, academics, civil society practitioners, individuals directly affected by national security policies, and other leading voices.
Episodes
144 episodes
Hungary After Orban
Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary election brought a major political shift. After 16 years in power, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party lost to opposition leader Peter Magyar, whose coalition now holds a strong parliamentary majority. Th...
Sudan Enters Its Fourth Year of Civil War
The North African country of Sudan marks a grim anniversary this week: the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting a civil war for three years, creating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. About
What Does it Really Mean to be a U.S. Territory?
Trump's threats to forcibly take control of Greenland brought to the headlines the alarming notion of the United States seeking new territories, from a European ally. But the United States already faces pressing issues of territorial control an...
Can the U.S. Seize Russian Flagged Oil Tankers?
Prior to the U.S. attacks that dislodged president Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, American forces have for weeks been blockading U.S.-sanctioned ships carrying Venezuelan oil. In mid-December, the United States began boarding, and seizing, tanker...
Can the U.S. Still Lead on Anti-Corruption? Understanding the Combating Global Corruption Act
The Combating Global Corruption Act marks a new chapter in how the U.S. approaches corruption abroad. For the first time, the State Department must publicly rank foreign governments based on their anti-corruption efforts–evalu...
Murder on the High Seas Part IV
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 State...
Is there a Fox in the Henhouse? A Comparative Perspective of State Capture in the U.S.
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, ins...
Examining the Trump Administration’s New Antifa Designations
On Nov. 13, the Trump administration took the unprecedented step of adding four groups in Europe to the U.S. government’s list of specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs). The administration also stated its intent to add each of these ent...
Reflections on International Law Weekend 2025: An International Law Chats x Just Security Podcast Crossover Episode
International law professors Chiara Giorgetti, Milena Sterio, and Rebecca Hamilton join Just Security’s Managing Editor, Megan Corrarino, to discuss takeaways from the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA)’s Oct....
Murder on the High Seas Part III
Since early September, President Donald Trump has ordered a series of U.S. military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea the administration claims are linked to drug trafficking groups, leaving 32 people dead. One recent strike left two surv...
Murder on the High Seas Part II: What We Know about U.S. Vessel Strikes One Month In
Since early September, President Trump has ordered the U.S. military to conduct multiple lethal strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea suspected of drug trafficking, resulting in at least 21 deaths. What do we actually know about th...
Misogyny’s Role in Violent Extremism
Leading scholar on domestic violent extremism and prevention strategies, Cynthia Miller-Idriss, joins Just Security Senior Fellow Tom Joscelyn to discuss her new book, Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism...
What Just Happened: CISA and the Fate of U.S. Cybersecurity
The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (CISA) of 2015 is set to expire at the end of this month on September 30, 2025. The Act removes barriers to companies sharing information about cyber threats, addressing privacy concerns and requires th...
Sen. Elissa Slotkin on a New Vision for American National Security
Last week, Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) unveiled a new “national security war plan,” centered on reviving the middle class, winning the global tech race, and rethinking how Americans are protected in an era of shifting threats and changing geo...
Murder on the High Seas? What You Need to Know about the U.S. Strike on the Caribbean Vessel
Last week, the United States carried out an unprecedented strike against a vessel suspected of narcotics trafficking in the Caribbean, destroying the vessel and reportedly killing 11 people on board. This action raises highly concerning questio...
What Just Happened: John Bolton Search Warrants
David Aaron is joined by Mary McCord and Zachary Myers to discuss last week’s search of the office and residence of form...
What Just Happened: Federalization of DC Law Enforcement, Legal Authorities and Updates
The Trump administration’s unprecedented federalization of policing in Washington, D.C. raises significant legal and policy questions about the Executive Branch’s power over the Metropolitan Police Department and the use of National Guard force...
What Just Happened: Federalization of Law Enforcement in Washington DC
This week, the Trump administration took over command of the D.C. police department, and surged federal law enforcement officers and National Guard units into the city. While the United States has a long tradition of leaving most policing to st...
Ukraine’s Resistance to Russia’s Invasion: The Other Mobilization
Ukraine’s response to the 2022 full-scale Russian invasion has been defined by extraordinary civilian mobilization. As millions of Ukrainians face the devastation of their homes, schools, and communities, volunteers—especially women—have steppe...
Decoding Trump’s AI Playbook: The AI Action Plan and What Comes Next
Yesterday, the White House released its long-awaited AI Action Plan and signed three executive orders on AI, laying out the Trump administration’s strategy to secure what it calls “unquestioned and unchallenged” U.S. dominance across...
What Just Happened: The Budget Bill and the Future of DHS and ICE
The massive budget bill that passed this month allocates tens of billions of dollars to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI). The influx of funding ...
Trump’s Shift on Ukraine and Russia: A Conversation with Amb. Daniel Fried and Dara Massicot
President Donald Trump this week put weapons behind his growing irritation with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intransigence on negotiations to end the war in Ukraine. Meeting at the White House with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Presi...
The Srebrenica Genocide 30 Years On--Remembrance and Prevention in Bosnia and Beyond
In a picturesque valley in the mountains of eastern Bosnia, thousands of white gravestones bear witness to a mass atrocity that still struggles for a place in Europe’s conscience. Nearly 8,400 names are etched into a stone memorial, a stark rem...
Unpacking the European Court of Human Rights Decision on Russia’s Violations in Ukraine
Today, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) delivered its highly anticipated judgement in the case of Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia–a watershed moment in international human rights law. In this episode, Just Securit...
Is There a Diplomatic Path for Iran’s Nuclear Program? An Interview with Richard Nephew
Iran’s nuclear program has long been a source of international tension. Early in U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, hopes for a diplomatic resolution resurfaced—until June, when Israel launched strikes on Iranian nuclear and military si...