The Founders rightly put the requirement in the Constitution the nation would not go to war without Congress approving. War is a serious expenditure of money and the blood of citizens. It deserves sober national debate and the agreement of the affirmative vote of the representatives of the people.
Sadly, in the 20th Century the requirement Congress declare war has been abandoned due to the perceived need for expediency, the subordination of national sovereignty to treaties, and the absence of political will. Congress has gladly abdicated this responsibility to the executive branch. This allows Congressmen to have it both ways. If the war is popular with the people they can claim to be in favor. If the war is unpopular individual Congressmen can oppose it and blame the president. Instead of the government and people being united in the effort, unpopular wars divide the nation at a time when we should be together.
Consider the Afghan and Iraq wars in the first decade of this century. If George W. Bush had asked for an actual Declaration of War there would have been a national debate and every Congressman and Senator would have been forced to go on record. By passing a “resolution” instead of a declaration, as the war dragged on Congressmen were able to constantly attack the president and the war effort. Hypocrisy become much uglier if it involves a vote to actually declare war.
Under Obama the power of the imperial president became obscene. Obama claimed the authority to kill American citizens without due process of law in drone strikes. Congress did not object even though the Constitution grants every citizen the right to due process. Obama assumed and exercised unconstitutional powers just as Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and both George Bush’s had done. No one is clean when it comes to ignoring the Constitution with respect to committing the nation to war.
To his credit President Trump recognized the damage being done to the nation by having the US military continuously in combat in multiple locations in the world. By the 21st Century War was no longer a measure of last resort, or measure required to defend the homeland from immediate danger. Instead war was perpetual and a significant function of the state, not to mention a significant piece of the economy. Trump ran on a platform of bringing US troops home and extricating the country from what the founders would call “foreign adventures.”
Had Trump not been ensnared in the faux Russia investigation for his first two years in office he might have been able to accomplish his goal. The US had become energy independent. He could have extricated US forces from the Middle East forcing the Europeans to defend their oil supply and the Israeli’s to seek other alliances. The truth is, the presence of Russian troops in the Middle East does not threaten the United States. It is of great strategic concern to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Europe. Yet is has been our nation paying in coin and blood to play the role of policeman in the region. Let the nations of the region decide their own fate.
Consider how ludicrous the current situation is. We have over a million people crossing our southern border illegally each year. The flood across the border is an invasion which saps the economic strength of the nation in many ways. Yet our troops are not defending our border. Our soldiers are dying every day in the Middle East where the local populations hate us and we have no strategic interest. That region of the world has been in turmoil for thousands of years and will remain so long after the United States is long gone.
The question for Americans is do we want to return to the rule of law and adherence to the Constitution? If so, Trump is as wrong on the exercise of military force as his predecessors. He should tell Congress to declare war if he wants to commit troops. He should also tell Congress if they don’t declare war he will bring the troops home — immediately.
If we accept the progressive concept of the “living” Constitution then we should be quite comfortable with the president sending troops to die anywhere at any time. Plus commit the national treasury to support a war of any size, scale and duration the chief executive dictates is appropriate. Let then be honest with ourselves and amend the Constitution to eliminate the declaration of war requirement.
Expediency and precedent are not a good reasons to violate the rule of law and the Constitution. No matter if your name Is Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George Bush, Bill Clinton, or Ronald Reagan.
Good post, serious questions.
Reverting the onus of war back upon Congress in these corrupt DC days...
And yep, it’s been all about oil...
1908 (May 26):
Masjid Sulaiman field (Masjid Sulaiman-1 well), southwest Zagros basin, Iran (Persia) by the Concessions Syndicate Ltd. (owned by Englishmen William Knox D’Arcy and Lord Stathcona, and the Scottish Burma Oil), forerunner of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (later British Petroleum). Reservoir: Asmari limestone (Oligocene-Early Miocene), 354 m deep; oil 39.4° API gravity.