War Powers
173 Articles

Secretary Kerry on the relationship between the 2001 and ISIL AUMFs
Last month, I wrote that “[a]ssuming the President and Congress mean for [the Administration’s draft] AUMF to impose limits on the President’s authority–including,…

Sunset and Supersede: Striking the Right Balance in the AUMF against ISIL
This post is the latest installment of our “Monday Reflections” feature, in which a different Just Security editor examines the big stories from the previous week or looks…

Just Security Q&A with Rep. Adam Schiff on ISIL AUMF
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, has become a prominent voice among lawmakers demanding that Congress authorize the fight against…

Just Security at the Future of War Conference
The New America Foundation and Arizona State University will be hosting their first annual Future of War Conference in Washington, DC on Tuesday, Feb. 24, and Wednesday, Feb. 25.…

Think Again: The Limitations in the President’s Draft AUMF Do Have Meaning
Several prominent commentators have argued that the limitations in President Obama’s draft AUMF against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) would be meaningless if…

Sens. Cardin and Murphy Offer Up Bill to Sunset 2001 AUMF
Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) introduced legislation today to sunset the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) against al-Qaeda. This comes…

Obama’s Forever War Starts Now
Ed Note. This piece also appears in Foreign Policy. When President Barack Obama announced the start of a U.S.-led bombing campaign in Iraq against the Islamic State on Aug. 7,…

Suggestions for clarifying/amending the President’s draft ISIL AUMF
It’s a good start. If enacted, the draft Authorization for Use of Military Force that President Obama proposed yesterday would not materially affect the way in which the…

Reader’s Guide to Just Security Analysis for an ISIL AUMF [Updated]
I. Design of the ISIL-Specific AUMF Avoiding Unnecessary Wars and Preserving Accountability: Principles for an ISIL-Specific AUMF (Ryan Goodman & Steve Vladeck: Nov. 10, 2014)…

Don’t Overvalue a Sunset in the AUMF: Start Talking About the Conditions When Wars Could End
More than six months after American bombs started falling in Iraq and Syria, President Barack Obama has finally submitted his proposal for authorizing the military campaign targeting…

Video of How to End the Forever War and Fight ISIL: Q&A with Harold Koh
How can the United States wind down operations in Afghanistan responsibly? Is there likely to be an end to “armed conflict” with al Qaeda anytime soon? What role does…

White House Sends Proposed ISIL AUMF to Congress (full text)
Today, the White House is sending a proposed draft of an Islamic State-specific authorization for the use of military force (AUMF) to Congress. Expect more on this in the days…