Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)
252 Articles

The Guns of September
[Editors’ Note: The following post is the first installment of a new feature, “Monday Reflections,” in which a different Just Security editor will take a longer…

Exhibit #1: How Not to Authorize Armed Conflict
Rep Frank Wolf (R-VA) is planning to introduce a new force authorization when Congress returns from recess next week. Entitled an “Authorization for Use of Military Force Against…

Harold Koh on the International and Domestic Legal Options for Containing ISIL
Just Security’s Harold Koh has a must-read piece in Politico, analyzing the legal and policy choices for the President to confront ISIL. Harold stakes out several important…

The Administration’s Theory for How the 2001 AUMF Could Apply to ISIS
Senator Tim Kaine, in a statement on Monday, marked out the position that expanded military operations against ISIS are not covered by Congress’s 2001 authorization for use of…

Cert. petition in Ali accepts Justice Breyer’s invitation
As I posted back in April, Justice Breyer issued a statement respecting denial of certiorari in the case of Hussain v. Obama in which he more or less invited Guantánamo habeas…

New Proposal for Gradual Repeal of the AUMF
As debate over the future of the post-9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force continues, today the National Security Network has released a report contributing to the discussion. Ending…

President Authorizes Airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq—But how limited is it?
On Thursday night, President Obama announced that he has authorized airstrikes “if necessary” for “two missions” in Iraq (full text of the President’s statement). Mission…

A Last Word on Lisa Monaco and AUMF Reform
In light of various offline comments, and Ben’s latest Lawfare post, let me briefly elaborate upon my post from this morning with respect to Saturday’s remarks by…

Overreading Lisa Monaco on AUMF Reform
Over at Lawfare, Bobby Chesney, Jack Goldsmith, Matt Waxman, and Ben Wittes have posted a reaction to a Josh Gerstein story in Politico, which was itself reporting on remarks…

Endless War is the Wrong Response to ISIS
“Obama’s Blueprint for Fighting Terrorism Collides with Reality in Iraq,” blared the New York Times headline late last week, in a story that set forth the challenges of the…

The importance (and difficulty) of the Stimson Task Force transparency recommendations . . . and a couple of legal corrections
Like Steve, I strongly recommend to Just Security readers the report on drone policy that the Stimson Task Force published yesterday. The report is very thoughtful and balanced,…

The President Has No Congressional Authorization to Use Force against ISIS in Iraq
Earlier this week, Jen Daskal, Steve Vladeck and I wrote a post explaining why the 2002 Authorization for Use of Military Force against Iraq clearly does not apply to ISIS in Iraq…