Murder on the High Seas Part IV

More from The Just Security Podcast All episodes →

1. 

   S1 · E135 · 16 Apr 2026 · 38 min

   Hungary After Orban

   Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary election brought a major political shift. After 16 years in power, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party lost to opposition leader Peter Magyar, whose coalition now holds a strong parliamentary majority. The result marks a new chapter in Hungary’s politics after years of debate about democratic accountability, media independence, and relations within the European Union. In this episode, Szuzanna Vegh joins Viola Gienger to explore how the opposition achie...

2. 

   S1 · E134 · 15 Apr 2026 · 40 min

   Sudan Enters Its Fourth Year of Civil War

   The North African country of Sudan marks a grim anniversary this week: the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been fighting a civil war for three years, creating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. About 14 million people have been forced to flee the fighting, often multiple times, and 4.4 million have fled to other countries, mostly to Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt, but also some to Europe. Today, one in four Sudanese is displaced. The U.N.’s Food and Agricultural...

3. 

   S1 · E133 · 10 Feb 2026 · 39 min

   What Does it Really Mean to be a U.S. Territory?

   Trump's threats to forcibly take control of Greenland brought to the headlines the alarming notion of the United States seeking new territories, from a European ally. But the United States already faces pressing issues of territorial control and governance. In this podcast, we share the perspectives of two leaders who work on democracy, equity, and self-determination issues in current U.S. territories. Why does the United States hold territories? How are they governed? And what does the contr...

4. 

   8 Jan 2026 · 42 min

   Can the U.S. Seize Russian Flagged Oil Tankers?

   Prior to the U.S. attacks that dislodged president Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, American forces have for weeks been blockading U.S.-sanctioned ships carrying Venezuelan oil. In mid-December, the United States began boarding, and seizing, tankers in the so‑called “shadow fleet” that move sanctioned oil across the globe, starting with stateless vessels. In a dramatic turn, this week the U.S. Coast Guard, with U.S. and allied military support, intercepted and boarded two Russian-flagged oil tank...

5. 

   S1 · E131 · 18 Dec 2025 · 38 min

   Can the U.S. Still Lead on Anti-Corruption? Understanding the Combating Global Corruption Act

   The Combating Global Corruption Act marks a new chapter in how the U.S. approaches corruption abroad. For the first time, the State Department must publicly rank foreign governments based on their anti-corruption efforts–evaluations that may carry real consequences for foreign aid, diplomacy, and sanctions. Yet the rollout comes at a moment of contradiction. As the United States positions itself to evaluate corruption abroad, it is facing an erosion of accountability mechanisms at home. In th...

6. 

   S1 · E129 · 26 Nov 2025 · 44 min

   Is there a Fox in the Henhouse? A Comparative Perspective of State Capture in the U.S.

   Across the world, we’re witnessing a transformation in how corruption operates. It’s not just about individual bribery or isolated misconduct. In many places, powerful actors are reshaping state institutions themselves— weakening oversight, insulating allies from consequences, and redirecting public power toward private gain. This deeper structural transformation is often called state capture, and it has altered political systems from South Africa to Guatemala to Sri Lanka. What is this...

7. 

   S1 · E128 · 17 Nov 2025 · 47 min

   Examining the Trump Administration’s New Antifa Designations

   On Nov. 13, the Trump administration took the unprecedented step of adding four groups in Europe to the U.S. government’s list of specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs). The administration also stated its intent to add each of these entities to the State Department’s list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), claiming that all four are affiliated with “Antifa.” The development marks an escalation in the administration’s efforts to recast anti-fascist activism as a matt...

8. 

   S1 · E127 · 3 Nov 2025 · 39 min

   Reflections on International Law Weekend 2025: An International Law Chats x Just Security Podcast Crossover Episode

   International law professors Chiara Giorgetti, Milena Sterio, and Rebecca Hamilton join Just Security’s Managing Editor, Megan Corrarino, to discuss takeaways from the American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA)’s Oct. 23-25 International Law Weekend. In this special episode co-produced with ABILA’s International Law Chats podcast, which Giorgetti and Sterio co-host along with Alison Macdonald KC, the guests — each of whom also participated in International Law Weekend ...

9. 

   S1 · E126 · 21 Oct 2025 · 34 min

   Murder on the High Seas Part III

   Since early September, President Donald Trump has ordered a series of U.S. military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean Sea the administration claims are linked to drug trafficking groups, leaving 32 people dead. One recent strike left two survivors, briefly detained by the U.S. military, and now reportedly repatriated to Colombia and Ecuador. The latest strike was reported by the Trump administration to have targeted suspected drug traffickers affiliated with a Colombian rebel group. The Whi...

10. 

    S1 · E125 · 7 Oct 2025 · 48 min

    Murder on the High Seas Part II: What We Know about U.S. Vessel Strikes One Month In

    Since early September, President Trump has ordered the U.S. military to conduct multiple lethal strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea suspected of drug trafficking, resulting in at least 21 deaths. What do we actually know about the people killed and the vessels targeted? What legal justification is the administration putting forward for the killings— and is it viable? Is there anything to stop the President from making further “terrorist” designations, of citizens or non-citizens, and...