Compiled by Athena Smith.
Articles
Elections as a Source of Violence
Daniel Byman described the history of election-related violence in the United States and past lessons that still apply today. Byman noted that American election violence during periods such as Reconstruction was driven by prejudice but also rumor and deliberate misinformation. He concluded that although there is greater mainstream tolerance in America today, support for political violence may be growing as the country becomes more politically divided.
America’s past is replete with election-related violence that drove its citizens farther apart, and the good news is that much of this appears to have stayed in the past. The bad news is that some trends are running in the wrong direction, with an increase in election-related threats, a more poisonous information sphere, and a nastier partisan environment.
Congressional Oversight after Trump v. United States
David Manners-Weber explained that although the 2024 Supreme Court decision in *Trump v. United States *limited executive branch oversight, Congress may push back against these limits if Democrats take control of one or both houses. Manners-Weber illustrated how a new Congress could confront these constraints and how the executive branch may react.
The full ramifications of
Trumpare not yet known. But, should Democrats retake one or both houses of Congress in the 2026 midterms, the executive branch will almost certainly wield theTrumpdecision aggressively to resist congressional investigations. Congressional Democrats will undoubtedly reject these broad readings ofTrump. But congressional Democrats will also likely make creative arguments to circumvent the decision’s strictures, including potentially by invoking Congress’s power to investigate pursuant to its power to propose constitutional amendments.
Russia’s Partnership With Iran: Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Losses
In the latest edition of Lawfare’s Foreign Policy Essay Series, Carol R. Saivetz and Kimberly Marten analyzed the current strategic partnership between Russia and Iran and found that, because the core interests of the two countries do not align, this relationship is likely temporary. Saivetz and Marten broke down the partnership’s short-term benefits to each country, the ways it may burden Russia as the stronger party, and how this security cooperation could play out in the future.
It may seem that Russia and Iran are destined for a long alliance because of their tight cooperation in current war-fighting. Yet history suggests that a deep vein of distrust runs through their relationship, and their core interests do not always align. It is probably a mistake to assume that their current security cooperation will be permanent, especially because Russia is fundamentally so much stronger than Iran and over the long term will likely need the relationship less.
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