How the Decision to Start a War Became the President’s
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- Since World War II, U.S. presidents from both parties have increasingly bypassed Congress to authorize military attacks, eroding constitutional war powers, with President Trump's unilateral strike on Iran marking a significant escalation of this trend.
- The Constitution vests war-declaring power in Congress unless the U.S. is under imminent attack, but successive administrations have expanded presidential authority to order limited military actions without congressional approval, often with Congress acquiescing due to political and institutional pressures.
- Trump's Iran strike, conducted without congressional authorization and justified by a broad interpretation of defending U.S. personnel, sets a precedent for future unilateral military actions, further weakening legal and institutional constraints on presidential war-making.
- Past presidents, including Biden and Obama, have
