The Just Security Podcast

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 geopolitical realities. Senator Slotkin joins Just Security’s editors-in-chief Ryan Goodman and Tess Bridgeman to discuss the relationship between economic security and national security, the tools Congress should use to defend against threats to our democracy, the role for congressional oversight in domestic use of the military and in the recent military attack on a suspected drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean, how the United States should engage with China in an era of increasing competition and cooperation, and a range of other national security and foreign policy priorities.Show Notes:  Senator Elissa Slotkin’s launch of her new vision for American national security and foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.   Just Security’s AI and Emerging Technology Archive Just Security’s Congress Archive

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 questions about the process followed within the U.S. government: how and by whom was the strike authorized?  Why was it carried out by U.S. armed forces? And what kind of accountability or pushback might we see from Congress, in courts, or within the government itself?Rebecca Ingber and Brian Finucane join Tess Bridgeman to unpack the attack, the limited justifications the administration has put forward to date, and what to expect from here. Show Notes: Legal Issues Raised by Lethal U.S. Military Attack in the Caribbean by Brian FinucaneLabels, Not Law, to Justify Lethal Force: Venezuela Boat Strike by Mark Nevitt 

Mary McCord, an expert in national security law and former Acting Assistant Attorney General, and Zachary Myers, a cybersecurity lawyer and former U.S. Attorney, delve into the controversial search of John Bolton's properties. They dissect the implications of executing search warrants in such high-profile cases. The duo navigates the balance between national security and public transparency, emphasizing the complexities of prosecuting sensitive information mishandling and the risks involved. Their discussion illuminates the ethical pressures faced by the Justice Department amid political tensions.

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 forces from D.C. and other states, among other pressing topics. To break down the latest developments, host David Aaron is joined by Brian Netter, Legal Director at Democracy Forward and former Deputy Assistant Attorney General at the Department of Justice, and Mark Nevitt, associate professor of law at Emory University and former Distinguished Military Professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and a member of the Just Security editorial board.   Show Notes: “Trump, the National Guard, and the District of Columbia” by Mark Nevitt “One Week of Trump’s DC Takeover Attempt: An analysis of the president’s use of military, police, and security services in the nation’s capital” by Joseph Nunn and Spencer Reynolds “How to Truly Keep Washington, DC Safe: President Trump’s militarized approach undercuts what’s been working” by Donell Harvin Just Security Podcast: What Just Happened - Federalization of Law Enforcement in Washington DC with David Aaron, Carrie Cordero, and Donell Harvin

Carrie Cordero, General Counsel at the Center for a New American Security, and Donell Harvin, former Chief of Homeland Security for D.C., dive deep into the recent federal takeover of the D.C. police department. They discuss the legal and policy implications of federalizing local law enforcement and the evolving role of the National Guard. The duo highlights the complexities of command in an emergency, weighing data-driven crime statistics against community safety concerns, ultimately advocating for a balanced approach to policing in the capital.

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 stepped up in unprecedented ways to support the nation’s survival. In this episode, host Viola Gienger is joined by Lauren Van Metre, President and CEO of Women in International Security (WIIS) and a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and  Ella Lamakh, founder of the Kyiv-based Democracy Development Center, to discuss how Ukraine’s women in frontline communities have stepped up to lead the local response. The episode also features the voices of three of the women in Ella’s network who are serving their frontline communities with humanitarian aid, organizing, and in one case, as a military administrator. Special thanks to those community leaders – Valentyna Holovata, Yuliia Porhenko, and Tetiana (who asked to use only her first name for security purposes), and to Dmytro Lysak for translation.Show Notes:  Voices from the Frontlines of Democracy in Ukraine: Supporting and Protecting Civil Society by Lauren Van MetreElla Lamakh’s Democracy Development CenterJust Security’s Russia-Ukraine War Archive 

Joshua Geltzer, a partner at Wilmer Hale and former deputy assistant to President Biden, Sam Winter-Levy from the Carnegie Endowment, and Jenny Moran of the Institute for AI Policy dive deep into the White House's ambitious AI Action Plan. They discuss its key pillars: innovation, infrastructure, and global diplomacy. The guests explore the balance between fostering open-source innovation and national security, the critical role of funding, and the implications for U.S. dominance amid rising global competition, especially with China.

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 of that scope and size will significantly expand the role DHS and immigration enforcement agencies play in American life.What are the the institutional constraints on the FBI and law enforcement agencies compared to those on DHS and immigration enforcement?  To help unpack what these differences might mean for achieving policy objectives while protecting civil liberties and providing political accountability, host David Aaron is joined by Steve Cash, who comes with a wealth of high-level experience in Congress and the executive branch and who most recently served as Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.  Show Note:Just Security’s FBI Archive Just Security’s DHS Archive 

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, President Trump announced that the United States will work with European allies in NATO to send advanced weapon systems, including Patriot missile batteries, to Ukraine. He also threatened tariffs and additional sanctions against Russia and countries that do business with it if it doesn’t ease its assault on Ukraine and make progress on stalled peace talks within 50 days. What impact is this policy shift likely to have on the war in Ukraine? Will the combination of military support for Ukraine and economic threats toward Russia succeed in forcing President Putin to the negotiating table, or could they spur further escalation? On this episode, host Viola Gienger is joined by Ambassador Daniel Fried and Dara Massicot to discuss Trump’s policy shift on Ukraine and its impact.Show Notes:The Just Security Podcast: A Ukrainian MP Takes Stock of the NATO Summit and the Prospects for Peace, with Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko, Lauren Van Metre, and Viola Gienger. Ambassador Daniel Fried’s “Can Trump Seize a Win in Ukraine?” in Just Security Ambassador Daniel Fried’s “How to Land the Emerging Deal on Peace for Ukraine” in Just Security Just Security’s Russia-Ukraine War Archive Russia's Eliminationist Rhetoric Against Ukraine: A Collection by Clara Apt in Just Security

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 reminder of the Srebrenica Genocide committed by Bosnian Serb forces against Bosnian Muslims in July 1995 – 30 years ago this year. And yet, too many political leaders and others continue denying the scale and scope of the travesty that unfolded there.What has the world learned about genocide denial since Srebrenica? How has that denial echoed persistent efforts to negate or diminish the Holocaust? And how does denial and the politics around it tie into efforts to prevent a repeat elsewhere in the world?Viola Gienger, Washington Senior Editor at Just Security is joined by Sead Turcalo, Professor of Security Studies at the University of Sarajevo and author of Thirty Years After the Srebrenica Genocide: Remembrance and the Global Fight Against Denial, published in Just Security; Velma Saric, founder and president of the Post-Conflict Research Center in Sarajevo; and Jacqueline Geis, Senior Director at the consulting firm Strategy for Humanity and a Research Fellow at the Human Rights Center at the University of California Berkeley School of LawShow Notes:  Sead Turcalo’s “Thirty Years After the Srebrenica Genocide: Remembrance and the Global Fight Against Denial,” published in Just SecurityJackie Geis’ “From Open-Source to All-Source: Leveraging Local Knowledge for Atrocity Prevention,” published in Just SecurityVelma Saric’s Post-Conflict Research Center and the associated blog Balkan Diskurs.Michael Schiffer and Pratima T. Narayan’s “Trump Administration’s Proposed Cuts to Accountability for Mass Atrocities Undermine Its Own Strategic Goal,” published in Just Security Menachem Z. Rosensaft’s “Refuting Srebrenica Genocide Denial Yet Again, as UN Debates Draft Resolution,” published in Just SecurityJust Security’s Bosnia-Herzegovina archives Just Security’s genocide archive