Congress at War: The Politics of Conflict Since 1789

Congress at War: The Politics of Conflict Since 1789
ISBN-10
1597971812
ISBN-13
9781597971812
Category
History / United States / General
Pages
103
Language
English
Published
2007-08
Publisher
Potomac Books
Author
Charles A. Stevenson

Description

Congress at War reviews the historical record of the U.S. Congress in authorizing, funding, overseeing, and terminating major military operations. Refuting arguments that Congress cannot and should not set limits or conditions on the use of U.S. armed forces, this book catalogs the many times when previous Congresses have enacted restrictions—often with the acceptance and compliance of wartime presidents. While Congress has formally declared war only five times in U.S. history, it has authorized the use of force fifteen other times. In recent decades, however, lawmakers have weakened their Constitutional claims by failing on several occasions to enact measures either supporting or opposing military operations ordered by the president. Concise, dramatically written, and illustrated with several summary tables, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in America’s wars—past or present.

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