(Source: University Press of Kansas)
The University Press of Kansas is publishing a new book on
the history of war powers in the United States.
ABOUT THE BOOK
The Constitution of the United
States divides war powers between the executive and legislative branches to
guard against ill-advised or unnecessary military action. This division of powers
compels both branches to hold each other accountable and work in tandem. And
yet, since the Cold War, congressional ambition has waned on this front. Even
when Congress does provide initial authorization for larger operations, they do
not provide strict parameters or clear end dates. As a result, one president
after another has initiated and carried out poorly developed and poorly
executed military policy. The Politics of War Powers offers a measured, deeply
informed look at how the American constitutional system broke down, how it
impacts decision-making today, and how we might find our way out of this unhealthy
power division.
Sarah Burns starts with a nuanced
account of the theoretical and historical development of war powers in the
United States. Where discussions of presidential power often lean on the
concept of the Lockean Prerogative, Burns locates a more constructive source in
Montesquieu. Unlike Locke, Montesquieu combines universal normative
prescriptions with an emphasis on tailoring the structure to the unique needs
of a society. In doing so, the separation of powers can be customized while
maintaining the moderation needed to create a healthy institutional balance. He
demonstrates the importance of forcing the branches into dialogue, putting
them, as he says, “in a position to resist” each other. Burns’s
conclusion—after tracing changes through Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s
administration, the Cold War, and the War on Terror—is that presidents now
command a dangerous degree of unilateral power.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sarah Burns is assistant professor of political science at
Rochester Institute of Technology.
More info here
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