Rule OF Law vs. Rule BY Law: How the U.S. Constitution is Designed to Protect the American Citizenry
The Engine Room of DemocracyShow Notes
In this first episode, host John J. Hamre speaks with Suzanne Spaulding, director of the Defending Democratic Institutions project at CSIS. Suzanne is a lawyer, and had served as chief clerk of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and later as undersecretary in the Department of Homeland Security. Their conversation examines how established institutions and procedures keep government agencies accountable to its citizens. This process is especially important for intelligence organizations that operate in secrecy. Suzanne offers a powerful tutorial on one of the foundation stones of our democracy.
More from The Engine Room of Democracy
In this session, Dana Chipman, former judge advocate of the U.S. Army, discusses the role of the Judicial Center and how America supports and nurtures a professional judiciary.
Gene Dodaro is the comptroller general of the United States government and head of the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Established by Congress as a watchdog, the GAO is the one organization that forces truthfulness and accountability across the federal government. In this session, Dodaro discusses the critical role of independent oversight as a foundation for rule of law.
Sean O’Keefe served in senior positions in both Congress and the executive branch. He has a unique perspective on how these two branches of government work together for a greater common good. Host Dr. John Hamre and O’Keefe discuss the tension between these two branches and the imperative for collaboration.
John Kirby was a chief spokesman for both the Department of Defense and the Department of State. In this session, host John Hamre and Kirby discuss the importance of public communications as a foundation for credibility of government action, explaining how public communications reinforces rule of law.
General Vincent Brooks is a pathbreaking Army officer. First in his class at West Point, Brooks rose to become the senior commander of American and allied forces in Korea. The commander of United States Forces Korea also has an important diplomatic role, serving as the head of UN forces in Korea and the senior political-military spokesman in Korea. In this session, Brooks and host John Hamre take us into the operational and legal issues of leading an alliance. They talk through how Brooks had to serve as a warrior and a diplomat in a dynamic theater of operations.