The Just Security Podcast - Just Security

Latest Episodes:

Ukraine’s Resistance to Russia’s Invasion: The Other Mobilization Aug 04, 2025

Show notes

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 Metre
Ella Lamakh’s Democracy Development Center
Just Security’s Russia-Ukraine War Archive

Decoding Trump’s AI Playbook: The AI Action Plan and What Comes Next Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

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 the entire AI tech stack. Framing AI as a global race for technological supremacy, the Plan envisions nothing short of an industrial revolution, an information revolution—and even a renaissance—all driven by AI.

To achieve that vision, the Plan is centered around three pillars: innovation, infrastructure, and international diplomacy and security. It calls for upskilling the workforce, revising federal rules, building high-security data centers, and tightening export controls—all whilst removing what the administration views as regulatory obstacles to faster AI adoption.

The plan also raises major questions. What’s the role of government in steering this technology responsibly? Are we building the right guardrails as we scale up? And what message is the U.S. sending to allies and adversaries as it charts a new course in AI policy?

Show Notes:

Sam Winter-Levy’s article, "Assessing the Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan" (July 25, 2025)
Joshua Geltzer’s article “The Trump Administration’s AI Action Plan Is Coming. Here’s What to Look For.” (July 18, 2025)
Alasdair Phillips-Robins’s and Sam Winter-Levy’s article, “What Comes Next After Trump’s AI Deals in the Gulf” (June 4, 2025)
Clara Apt and Brianna Rosen’s article “Shaping the AI Action Plan: Responses to the White House’s Request for Information” (Mar. 18, 2025)
Brianna Rosen interview with Joshua Geltzer, “The Just Security Podcast: Trump’s AI Strategy Takes Shape” (April 17, 2025)
Just Security’s Tech Policy Under Trump 2.0 series
Just Security’s Artificial Intelligence Archive

What Just Happened: The Budget Bill and the Future of DHS and ICE Jul 18, 2025

Show notes

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

Trump’s Shift on Ukraine and Russia: A Conversation with Amb. Daniel Fried and Dara Massicot Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

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

The Srebrenica Genocide 30 Years On--Remembrance and Prevention in Bosnia and Beyond Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

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 Law

Show Notes:

Sead Turcalo’s “Thirty Years After the Srebrenica Genocide: Remembrance and the Global Fight Against Denial,” published in Just Security
Jackie Geis’ “From Open-Source to All-Source: Leveraging Local Knowledge for Atrocity Prevention,” published in Just Security
Velma 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 Security
Just Security’s Bosnia-Herzegovina archives
Just Security’s genocide archive

Unpacking the European Court of Human Rights Decision on Russia’s Violations in Ukraine Jul 09, 2025

Show notes

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 Security Executive Editor and professor at American University Washington College of Law Rebecca Hamilton, and Just Security editorial board member and professor of International Law at the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy Tom Dannenbaum join Just Security co-editor-in-chief Ryan Goodman to break down the Court’s reasoning, the legal standards applied, and the potential ramifications for the ongoing conflict and the future of international justice.

Show Note:

Tom Dannenbaum’s “Legal Frameworks for Assessing the Use of Starvation in Ukraine” in Just Security
Olga Butkevych, Rebecca Hamilton, and Gregory Shaffer’s “International Law in the Face of Russia’s Aggression in Ukraine: The View from Lviv”
Ryan Goodman and Ambassador (ret) Keith Harper’s “Toward a Better Accounting of the Human Toll in Putin's War of Aggression” in Just Security
The Just Security Podcast: ICC Arrest Warrants for Russian Attacks on Ukraine’s Power Grid with Kateryna Busol, Rebecca Hamilton, and Paras Shah
Case of Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia Judgement (July 9, 2025)

Is There a Diplomatic Path for Iran’s Nuclear Program? An Interview with Richard Nephew Jul 07, 2025

Show notes

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 sites. Days later, the United States joined the conflict, bombing three sites within Iran. Iran retaliated with missile attacks in Israel and a U.S. base in Qatar, and suspended cooperation with nuclear inspectors.

With both Washington and Tehran signaling interest in returning to talks despite the violence, what are the prospects for diplomacy now? To discuss where things stand and what a path forward might look like, Just Security’s co-editor-in-chief Tess Bridgeman is joined by Richard Nephew, a leading expert on Iran’s nuclear program and former Deputy Special Envoy for Iran.

Show Notes:

Just Security’s Israel-Iran Conflict Collection
Richard Nephew’s “Did the Attacks on Iran Succeed?” in Foreign Affairs
Kelsey Davenport’s “Israeli Strikes Risk Driving Iran Toward Nuclear Weapons” in Just Security
Brianna Rosen, Tess Bridgeman, and Nima Gerami’s “The Day After U.S. Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Program: A Policy and Legal Assessment” in Just Security
Brianna Rosen’s “Intelligence Implications of the Shifting Iran Strike Narrative” in Just Security
Brian O’Neill’s “What Counts as a Win?: Battle Damage Assessments and Public Messaging” in Just Security
Brian Finucane’s “The Need for a Congressional Rebuttal on Trump’s Iran Attack” in Just Security
James Acton’s “Guest Post: Sorry, Mr. Secretary, producing uranium metal isn’t particularly difficult” in Arms Control Wonk

A Ukrainian MP Takes Stock of the NATO Summit and the Prospects for Peace Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

The leaders of NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance, just finished their annual Summit in The Hague in The Netherlands, as Ukraine continues its existential fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion that began more than three years ago. That invasion, preceded six years earlier by the capture of Crimea and parts of eastern Ukraine, set off the biggest war in Europe since World War II.

How do Ukrainian leaders see the outcome of the NATO Summit? What are the prospects for negotiations, and how are Ukrainians faring in the meantime? And what about relations between Ukraine and the United States under this new administration in Washington? And with its European partners?

Washington Senior Editor Viola Gienger and guest host Lauren Van Metre spoke with Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko to answer some of these crucial questions.

Show Notes:

Just Security’s Russia-Ukraine War archive.
Just Security’s tracking of Russia’s Eliminationist Rhetoric Against Ukraine
Hidden in the U.S. Army’s New Reform Initiative Is a Warning for Europe by Jennifer Kavanagh
Can Trump Seize a Win in Ukraine? By Ambassador Daniel Fried
International Law at the Precipice: Holding Leaders Accountable for the Crime of Aggression in Russia’s War Against Ukraine by Mark Ellis

The Situation in Los Angeles and the U.S. Military: Legal and Policy Implications Jun 13, 2025

Show notes

Over the past several days, the Trump administration has taken increasingly drastic steps in response to protest activity and unrest in Los Angeles — including federalizing 4,000 National Guard troops and sending hundreds of Marines, against the objections of California’s state and local leadership.

As events unfold on the ground in LA, and in the lead-up to further anticipated protests this weekend, Just Security and the Reiss Center on Law and Security hosted a YouTube Live event to examine the pressing legal and policy issues at stake.

Notes:

Watch the full June 12th, 2025 event on YouTube, here.
Elizabeth Goitein: Senior Director, Liberty & National Security Program, Brennan Center for Justice
Mary B. McCord: Visiting Professor of Law and Executive Director, Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, Georgetown Law; Member, Board of Directors, Just Security
Steve Vladeck: Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Federal Courts, Georgetown Law; Executive Editor, Just Security
Ryan Goodman: Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Professor of Law and Faculty Co-Director, Reiss Center on Law and Security, NYU School of Law; Founding Co-Editor-in-Chief, Just Security
Just Security’s Civilian-Military Relations coverage.
Just Security’s Domestic Deployment of the U.S. Military coverage.
Just Security’s Law Enforcement archives.

A Conversation with Jen Easterly: Cybersecurity at a Crossroads Jun 10, 2025

Show notes

In recent years, the United States has sustained some of the most severe cyber threats in recent history– from the Russian-government directed hack SolarWinds to China’s prepositioning in U.S. critical infrastructure for future sabotage attacks through groups like Volt Typhoon. The Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is responsible for responding to, and protecting against these attacks.

How do leaders steer through cyber crises, build trust, and chart a path forward?

In conversation with Dr. Brianna Rosen, Just Security Senior Fellow and Director of the AI and Emerging Technologies Initiative, Jen Easterly, who just completed a transformative tenure as Director of CISA under the Biden Administration, unpacks the challenges, breakthroughs, and lessons from the front lines of America’s cybersecurity efforts.