War Powers Article

Hi Class. Hope you are having a nice weekend. I have added some questions to the reading that is due on Monday. Your written completion of additional questions (6-10) will be due on Tuesday, but may be incorporated orally on Monday when I quiz you out loud. You might as well complete them for Monday as I may call on you to answer 6-10. Also note, that page numbers correspond to where you will find the answers to the reading. Go Niners!

Study Questions for “War Powers, International Alliances, the President, and Congress



1. Describe the constitutional ambiguity regarding war. (p. 14).
2. Explain how the size of the American military in the 19th and early 20th centuries limited presidential war making power. (p. 16)
3. Explain how the decision in INS v. Chadha could conceivably affect the War Powers Resolution. (p. 16)
4. Explain how the scale of military conflicts affects the degree to which presidents have obtained permission from Congress when committing troops to overseas conflicts. (p. 17)
5. How does American Exceptionalism factor in America’s relations with its international partners? (p. 20)
6. Describe the role of Congress in the decision to go to use military force against Iraq in both 1991 and 2002. (p. 17)
7. Explain how the existence of international organizations such as the UN has affected the use of unilateralism by the US. (p. 18)
8. Describe how Bush 41 used a multilateral strategy in dealing with Iraq in 1990-91, and how Bush 43 used more of a unilateral strategy in dealing with Iraq in 2002. (p. 19)
9. What are two major provisions of the War Powers Act? (p. 16.)
10. After reading the article, where do you think war powers should reside?
Should the power of war reside more with the president or with congress?
Should the current system (as defined in the Constitution) change or stay the
same and why?