The Importance of the Rule of Law in National Security and Foreign Affairs

A Dialog with Suzanne Spaulding.

Bio:

Senior adviser for the Defense and Security Department at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), former Undersecretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Counsel for the U.S. Senate, House of Representatives, Central Intelligence Agency

After the Watergate scandal and eventual resignation of Richard Nixon Congress reinforced our system of checks and balances to prevent another Nixon. Fifty years later, those guardrails are being trampled. Long time prominent Washington legal expert Suzanne Spaulding will engage in a dialog with TCFR board member Bill Banks about the ongoing challenges to the rule of law presented by President Donald Trump’s second term actions in the areas of national security and foreign affairs.  The list of potential topics for discussion grows almost daily and includes the President’s refusal to spend funds appropriated by Congress, dismantling and downsizing of agencies previously authorized by Congress, the dismissal of agency officials from agencies protected from dismissal by statute, cavalier treatment of a significant security breach inside the Pentagon in a supposedly secure discussion of sensitive military attack plans, the unilateral decision to attack Iranian nuclear sites without authorization or consultation with Congress, and the deployment of Marines and Army personnel to respond to protests of immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. Ms. Spaulding will discuss the ways in which our traditional commitment to the rule of law strengthens our security, the means available to counter actions undermining that commitment, and lessons for our future.

Looking for more from guest speaker Suzanne Spaulding?

Explore more here