How do Executive War Powers Impact United States Politics? In terms of US war powers, it is well known that Congress exclusively holds the power in the Constitution to declare war. However, in more recent times, the Presidents have found ways to declare military action without the input of Congress, starting in the Cold War Era and extending into today’s military campaigns (Burns, 2015; Hathaway, n.d.; Hinnebusch, 2007; Van Alstyne, 1972). In this paper, I will present current and former positions on the war powers issue, and explain how in modern times, the construction of the important power has been used to push agendas and align national issues with presidential plans. Review of Literature on Presidential War Powers Among scholars, this
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He gave the formal notice in a press conference shortly after launching action, and was met with Congressional and public support for his sponsored “war on terror” (Kiley, 2023). Eventually, the fear tactics allowed for a successful reelection in 2004, and an American presence that is still visible in the Middle East continued even into today. As argued in the past literature, presidents have used immediate action as a guise to push agendas. Bush is no exception, having declared war on a nation he claimed to have WMDs (Hinnebusch, 2007; Kiley, 2023) was the driving force for the attacks into Iraq, but none were found. It is well known that in terms of the Bush presidency, the war began to shift from a “war on terror” to a war based around US domination and economic control of interests in the Middle East, a major stance of the Republican Party at the time. Often described as, “a war of choice”, many major players believed Bush used the 9/11 attacks to push an agenda he hoped to make. Haass, 2023. Another prime example of presidents using this power for political ambitions or gains is the Obama administration's attacks on Syria and …show more content…
(2023). CONCERNING UNITED STATES CONSTITUTIONAL WAR POWERS. St. Mary’s Law Journal, 54(2), 319–374. Boylan, T. S., & Kedrowski, K. M. (2004). The Constitution and the War Power: What Motivates Congressional Behavior? Armed Forces & Society (0095327X), 30(4), 539–570. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X0403000403 Burns, S. (2015). A New Model of Executive Power: A Montesquieuan Explanation of the Obama Presidency. EBSCO. - EBSCO. https://research.ebsco.com/c/tzf4hh/viewer/html/hdg6uibnpn?proxyApplied=true&auth-callid=a154400c-1641-94cd-979a-089e6362eabd Elving, R. (2020, January 12). How Presidents Wage War Without Congress? NPR.com - "The New York Times" https://www.npr.org/2020/01/12/795661019/how-presidents-wage-war-without-congress Fisher, L. (n.d.). ARTICLE: PRESIDENTIAL MILITARY INITIATIVES: CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS, 53 U.S.C. L. Rev. Dr. John C. 373. The. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=371f4e3b-f7b6-49f6-87fa-86b3defcd7f9&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fanalytical-materials%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A65PH-6WP1-DXWW-21BX-00000-00 Revisiting America’s War of Choice in Iraq | Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/article/revisiting-americas-war-choice-iraq Hathaway, O. n.d. - n.d. - n.d. ARTICLE: HOW THE EROSION OF U.S. WAR POWERS CONSTRAINTS HAS UNDERMINED INTERNATIONAL LAW CONSTRAINTS ON THE USE OF FORCE, 14 Harv. Nat’l Sec. -. J. 336. The. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from
He gave the formal notice in a press conference shortly after launching action, and was met with Congressional and public support for his sponsored “war on terror” (Kiley, 2023). Eventually, the fear tactics allowed for a successful reelection in 2004, and an American presence that is still visible in the Middle East continued even into today. As argued in the past literature, presidents have used immediate action as a guise to push agendas. Bush is no exception, having declared war on a nation he claimed to have WMDs (Hinnebusch, 2007; Kiley, 2023) was the driving force for the attacks into Iraq, but none were found. It is well known that in terms of the Bush presidency, the war began to shift from a “war on terror” to a war based around US domination and economic control of interests in the Middle East, a major stance of the Republican Party at the time. Often described as, “a war of choice”, many major players believed Bush used the 9/11 attacks to push an agenda he hoped to make. Haass, 2023. Another prime example of presidents using this power for political ambitions or gains is the Obama administration's attacks on Syria and …show more content…
(2023). CONCERNING UNITED STATES CONSTITUTIONAL WAR POWERS. St. Mary’s Law Journal, 54(2), 319–374. Boylan, T. S., & Kedrowski, K. M. (2004). The Constitution and the War Power: What Motivates Congressional Behavior? Armed Forces & Society (0095327X), 30(4), 539–570. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X0403000403 Burns, S. (2015). A New Model of Executive Power: A Montesquieuan Explanation of the Obama Presidency. EBSCO. - EBSCO. https://research.ebsco.com/c/tzf4hh/viewer/html/hdg6uibnpn?proxyApplied=true&auth-callid=a154400c-1641-94cd-979a-089e6362eabd Elving, R. (2020, January 12). How Presidents Wage War Without Congress? NPR.com - "The New York Times" https://www.npr.org/2020/01/12/795661019/how-presidents-wage-war-without-congress Fisher, L. (n.d.). ARTICLE: PRESIDENTIAL MILITARY INITIATIVES: CONSTITUTIONAL VIOLATIONS, 53 U.S.C. L. Rev. Dr. John C. 373. The. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from https://advance.lexis.com/document/?pdmfid=1516831&crid=371f4e3b-f7b6-49f6-87fa-86b3defcd7f9&pddocfullpath=%2Fshared%2Fdocument%2Fanalytical-materials%2Furn%3AcontentItem%3A65PH-6WP1-DXWW-21BX-00000-00 Revisiting America’s War of Choice in Iraq | Council on Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/article/revisiting-americas-war-choice-iraq Hathaway, O. n.d. - n.d. - n.d. ARTICLE: HOW THE EROSION OF U.S. WAR POWERS CONSTRAINTS HAS UNDERMINED INTERNATIONAL LAW CONSTRAINTS ON THE USE OF FORCE, 14 Harv. Nat’l Sec. -. J. 336. The. Retrieved January 30, 2024, from