Amid President Trump’s retreat from global institutions, U.S. governors and mayors can serve their communities’ interests by pushing for responsible reform and cushioning the blow of the administration’s policy. From Ayse Kaya and Jon Temin: www.justsecurity.org/120345/trump...

Israel’s Sept. 9 strike on Hamas leaders in #Qatar was carried out with only last-minute notice to Washington. The Doha strike raises questions about US credibility with Gulf partners, writes Jesse Marks. www.justsecurity.org/120470/israe...

Analyzing the legal and moral stakes of the Caribbean strikes – and how Congress could respond. From Annie Shiel, @jwrchappell.bsky.social, Priyanka Motaparthy, Wells Dixon and Daphne Eviatar: www.justsecurity.org/120794/legal...

We join PEN centers in welcoming the release of writers jailed in Belarus. At the same time, we condemn their forced exile and call for their rights to be upheld. Writers still in prison—including Ales Bialiatski, Maksim Znak, and Kaciaryna Andrejeva—must be released. bsky.app/profile/peni...

One of the greats has passed. Robert Redford was a celebrated actor, director, and someone who held a mirror up to America. His work will live on, but we Ordinary People will feel The Sting of his loss for years. Rest among the stars now, and when you see heaven, may a River Run Through It.

Misogyny drives much of modern extremism, but society has failed to deal with it as a root cause of mass violence, @milleridriss.bsky.social writes In her book Man Up: The New Misogyny and the Rise of Violent Extremism, Miller-Idriss tackles the issue head on. www.justsecurity.org/120654/how-m...

Robert Redford was a true movie star and a brilliant director, and at the top of his game he spent his cultural currency to build an institution to foster and support independent film. His dedication to valuing new perspectives and emerging talent will forever inspire me. RIP to a champion.

Collection: U.S. Lethal Strikes on Suspected Drug Traffickers Collection of expert analysis on the legality of the U.S. strike on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, the consequences of the strike, and related issues. www.justsecurity.org/120753/colle...

Journalists and co-founders of Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA), M. Gessen and Anna Nemzer, joined human rights advocate Yaqiu Wang and PEN America’s Viktorya Vilk to talk about media erasure under authoritarian governments at #PENWorldVoices 2025. Read more: pen.org/what-oversea...

3/ We also document over 35 cases in which judges have criticized the DOJ for providing false information, misrepresentations of facts, and the like. Below are some of the very-strong statements by judges in this category. www.justsecurity.org/120547/presu...

With a terrific team, I just published a large study looking at all court cases involving the Trump administration. Shows basis for courts no longer giving a so-called "presumption of regularity" (a legal doctrine involving a strong benefit of the doubt) to the administration. 🧵

More than 4 years have passed since Kabul fell to the Taliban. For those living in Afghanistan’s diaspora, that time has passed by quickly, @nibrahimi.bsky.social writes. He argues the world should not forget those living under the Taliban’s repressive rule. www.justsecurity.org/119789/time-...

NEW: @bcfinucane.bsky.social explains the Trump admin’s extraordinary lethal attack on purported Tren de Aragua drug smuggling vessel in international waters off the Venezuela coast–and its vow that it is the start of a campaign–raise significant legal issues. www.justsecurity.org/119982/legal...

Pakistan’s record of gender-based violence exposes the limitations of international law when a State ignores its obligations, writes Mahwish Moazzam. International law must deliver protection with power:  www.justsecurity.org/119947/jirga...  #Pakistan #InternationalLaw #WomensRights

Convicted, legally ousted, but recalcitrant & noncompliant former RS President Milorad Dodik has called #EUFOR Althea, the peace enforcing successor force to #NATO's IFOR/SFOR an "occupation army." He calls on #Russia to cast its veto on renewal in November. This demands a real response. 1/

Meanwhile ... ICYMI, some important digging here from the inimitable @rgoodlaw.bsky.social:

ICYMI.

2/2 Podcast Can now catch @marknevitt.bsky.social's Expert Backgrounder on audio at the @justsecurity.org new "Out Loud" podcast Trump, the National Guard, and the District of Columbia: What You Need to Know www.justsecurity.org/119178/trump... www.buzzsprout.com/2509956/epis...

Thanks to the deep expertise of @marknevitt.bsky.social for this Backgrounder: Trump, the National Guard, and the District of Columbia: What You Need to Know #NationalGuard #DCTakeover #ARNG

"It won’t be a just deal as long as any part of Ukraine is under Russian occupation. But it could be a sustainable deal." Always read Ambassador Dan Fried (@ambdanfried.bsky.social)

👇

"At least 63 people, mostly women and children, starved to death in the past week in the besieged city of El Fasher, the last major urban center in the sprawling Darfur region to not fall to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces." www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/0...

A judge ordered the sale of Alex Jones Infowars today, clearing the way for The Onion to renew its attempt to buy the notorious conspiracy-fueled empire. "We’re working on it," @bencollins.bsky.social tells @status.news www.status.news/p/washington...

Ukraine’s response to Russia's bombardment includes an extraordinary civilian mobilization. Hear how women in frontline communities stepped up, and the changes the war has wrought -- their voices and my conversation with Ella Lamakh in Kyiv and Lauren Van Metre, who just returned from #Ukraine:

#FreePress trend lines over the past month continue to head in the wrong direction for the health of our democracy. Glad I started tracking from the outset because it would be overwhelming to start compiling at this point....

"As a war reporter, I’m used to seeing war-torn towns. But this time was different: Pokrovsk isn't just another city for me," writes the Kyiv Independent's Olena Zashko in her op-ed.

Listen to the latest Just Security Podcast episode, “Ukraine’s Resistance to Russia’s Invasion: The Other Mobilization” with @violagienger.bsky.social, Lauren Van Metre, and Ella Lamakh. www.buzzsprout.com/2074610/epis...

Grateful to @skynewsrss.bsky.social Yousra Albagir for the persistence of her Sudan reporting. The situation in El Fasher is dire. Aid conveys reach the outskirts of the city, but then are blocked. Men with guns are starving hungry children: news.sky.com/story/sudan-...

1/ The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) — the primary tool for accessing public records in the U.S. — is under mounting strain across the federal government, explains Amanda Teuscher of @weareoversight.bsky.social. See her analysis and rundown of FOIA office closures, denials, and delays here:

We're launching our all-source morning news roundup as a podcast. Get a quick summary of all the latest news in your ear. The Early Edition on Just Security Out Loud. justsecurityoutloud.buzzsprout.com

#Uyghurs seeking justice for alleged #CrimesAgainstHumanity and #genocide by #China saw their odds improve recently – in #Argentina. @rayhanasat.bsky.social and @sophiedrich.bsky.social on the #UniversalJurisdiction case and what it means: www.justsecurity.org/118048/argen...

"Around 19,546 children have been deported to Russia since the start of the invasion in 2022, and just about 1399 children have been returned to Ukraine, according to data from Bring Kids Back UA."

"Children are taught in russian, using the ru curriculum and textbooks One such book portrays Ukraine as little more than a Western invention created to spite russia, and argues that human civilisation would have possibly ended had 🇷🇺 not invaded 🇺🇦 " www.bbc.com/news/article...

Ukraine has brought back 11 children from Russian-occupied territories and Russia, with Qatar acting as mediator. Among them are five siblings who managed to contact their sister in Ukraine and asked for help to come home.

📢 #CristosalStatement | After 25 years of work in El Salvador, we are suspending operations in the country due to escalating criminalization. Our mission continues—reorganized and deeply committed—from Guatemala and Honduras. #CristosalContinues

Via @reuters.com "The human rights group said its decision represents a turning point in Bukele's three-year state of emergency, with many journalists and other rights groups also deeming it unsafe to continue operating there." www.reuters.com/world/americ...

Very amusing to watch multiple journalists around the world try to explain the Epstein story to their bewildered readers

The Trump administration is set to release its #AI Action Plan next week. From infrastructure to export controls and the U.S. workforce, the plan’s decisions will have far-reaching consequences for the country’s development, deployment, and governance of AI, writes Josh Geltzer.

Key points, amongst many, include that HTS is still listed as a terrorist group per US law. As is jawlani, per state dept EO 13224 designation, and of course HTS and jawlani still listed at the UN. HTS not out of the woods yet.

What the declassified US-El Salvador diplomatic arrangement for detainees tells us and how it may implicate ongoing litigation. From a former State Department attorney who worked on bilateral deals, @bcfinucane.bsky.social

Trump’s shift on #Ukraine and #Russia — sharp analysis from Amb. Daniel Fried of the @atlanticcouncil.bsky.social and Dara Massicot of @carnegieendowment.org, in conversation with yours truly at @justsecurity.org: #RussiaUkraineWar #sanctions

People have been protesting in the country of Georgia for almost 9 mos, since a questionable election entrenched the increasingly repressive rule of its “Georgian Dream” party. The U.S. Congress is taking notice. Amb. Ian Kelly and David J. Kramer explain: www.justsecurity.org/117144/as-ge...

Stunning and also revealing. #BLM "The Justice Department’s civil rights chief has asked a federal judge to sentence a Louisville police officer convicted in the 2020 killing of Breonna Taylor to one day in jail, a stunning reversal ... He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison." gift link:

Interesting: Lawmakers from [the U.S. state of] Georgia urge the Trump administration "to reconsider its proposed expansion of the U.S. travel ban, warning it could harm the economy and negatively impact nations facing serious humanitarian challenges." www.wsbradio.com/news/local/g...

With Michael Waltz nomination hearing for UN Ambassador on Tuesday, a superb piece by @richardgowan1.bsky.social "Assuming Waltz gets the votes he needs on Capitol Hill, he will thus arrive in New York facing high expectations and a lot of hard questions." Deeply informed and detailed analysis:

Excited to share this new piece on why @hrw.org is calling for gender apartheid to be recognized as a crime under international law. This comes after long & careful discussion w/many colleagues about if there is need for such a law and any potential downsides. www.justsecurity.org/116780/gende...

During these dark days, it was heartening to have this conversation with these amazing voices. And big thanks to @sturcalo.bsky.social, Velma Saric and Jackie Geis. Check it out:

The existing arms control regime is effectively dead. Frank A. Rose offers a new strategic framework that advances these four core principles: www.justsecurity.org/116786/the-f...

8/“To those who remain in the building or at post: Please don’t forget us. And more importantly, don’t forget the people we fought for—the political prisoners, the survivors, the dissidents.”

7/“What hurts the most is not just losing our jobs, but the loss of an institutional voice that once stood for the core ideals of U.S. foreign policy: human rights, democracy, and accountability. That voice is now being silenced. Not by necessity. Not by accident. But by choice.”