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Welcome to the Institute for the Study of States of Exception (ISSE) main content page, a single source for all posts from the Institute, including commentary on global events, book reviews, academic literature, links to our podcasts, and additional resources. Check back regularly for more content from us.
“Sovereign is he who decides the exception.”
— Carl Schmitt (Political Theology: Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty, 1922)
Permanent Emergency: States of Exception and Democratic Erosion - ISSE speaks at King’s College London’s Centre for Statecraft & National Security
ISSE team members spoke at Centre for Statecraft & National Security on April 8, 2026, in a panel examining the global rise of “states of exception.” The discussion explored how emergency powers and prolonged security measures are increasingly shaping democratic governance across regions.
ISSE discussed with Adam Kinzinger
In this February 18, 2026, podcast discussion with Adam Kinzinger entitled “Former CIA Ops Chief on Ukraine, Munich, and the U.S. Europe Shift,” ISSE’s Founder and Governing Board Chair Ed Bogan talks about a range of topics including what he saw and heard at the 2026 Munich Security Conference, the current trajectory for Ukraine in its fight against Russia, and of course, ISSE.
Why Emergency Powers Are Democracy’s Stress Test - The Recursive
On December 30, 2025, The Recursive’s Teodora Atanasova published a late 2025 interview with ISSE’s Founder and Governing Board Chair Ed Bogan, discussing all facets of emergency powers abuses, and as well the strategy and goals of ISSE.
ISSE discussed on Michael Weiss’s “Foreign Office” podcast
On October 31, 2025, ISSE’s Governing Board Chair Ed Bogan appeared on Michael Weiss’s “Foreign Office” podcast series, in an episode entitled “Former CIA Officer Ed Bogan on War, Ukraine, and the Limits of American Values - States of Exception.” During that episode, Ed talked extensively about the ongoing war in Ukraine, but also talked about ISSE’s purpose and plans now that the nonprofit is up and running.
De batazos, bloqueos y llamadas
Tiempo News recently highlighted the creation of the ISSE in response to the growing use of emergency powers as a recurring tool of political governance.
El poder en tiempos de excepción
Featured in El Tiempo Latino, ISSE examined the growing use of emergency powers in democratic societies. The article highlights the importance of monitoring exceptional measures before they become permanent features of governance.
Welcome to the Institute.
Greetings! It is with deep humility and a strong sense of purpose that I formally welcome you to the Institute for the Study of States of Exception (ISSE). ISSE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing scholarship and dialogue on the misuse and abuse of states of exception worldwide–scenarios when laws or even entire constitutions are suspended under purported emergency circumstances, but in reality are intentionally framed improperly to enable democratic backsliding.