The FY2022 NDAA and Interpol

Abuse of Interpol for Transnational Repression: Assessing the FY22 NDAA’s Provisions for Prevention, with Jonathan Reich, Just Security, November 10, 2021. "The U.S. Congress has expressed increasing concern in recent years about the rise in transnational repression — that is, cross-border actions ranging from assassinations and abductions to intimidation and financial blacklisting that seek to deter and punish opposition or dissent. One form of transnational repression that has attracted considerable attention is the abuse by certain member countries of Interpol, the international organization tasked with facilitating worldwide police cooperation. As the single-largest funder of Interpol, the United States has an opportunity to take significant steps to curtail transnational repression by opposing Interpol abuse. This would both help to ensure that Interpol serves its intended purpose, and aid in setting the agenda for wider liberal democratic opposition to transnational repression in all its forms."

How The U.S. Can Curb Interpol Abuse

10 Ways the U.S. Can Curb Interpol Abuses, Just Security, December 11, 2018. "Interpol is not an international police agency. It’s a bulletin board on which notices are posted, and a communications system by which messages are sent. The board and the system have rules, the most important of which is that — as required by Interpol’s Constitution — they cannot be used for political, racial, religious, or military purposes. Interpol cannot stop its member nations, which are fully sovereign, from creating and prosecuting political offenses. All it can and is required to do by its Constitution is ensure that it is used only in connection with genuinely criminal offenses. Unfortunately, Interpol is falling short on that count. But there are ways to improve its record."

Interpol -- The Basics

What Not To Believe About Interpol – Exploding Five Myths, Just Security, November 26, 2018. "If Interpol is to be fixed — and by fixed I mean that Interpol should operate according to its own rules — we have to know the difference between the truth about how Interpol actually works, and the myths about it that are widely believed."