By Ryan C. Hendrickson
In the course of President Barack Obama's first time period in place of work, the USA accelerated its army presence in Afghanistan and elevated drone missile moves throughout Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia. The management additionally deployed the army to strive against piracy within the Indian Ocean, engaged in a sustained bombing operation in Libya, and deployed U.S. particular Forces in critical Africa to seize or kill Joseph Kony. In those circumstances, President Obama made up our minds to take advantage of strength with out congressional approval. but, this elevated govt strength has no longer been completed just by the presidential statement of such powers. It has additionally been supported through a gaggle of senators and representatives who, for political purposes that stem from consistent campaigning, search to prevent accountability for army motion abroad.
In this revealing booklet, Ryan C. Hendrickson examines President Obama's use of strength in his first time period with 4 significant case experiences. He demonstrates that, very similar to his predecessors, Obama has secure the administrative branch's correct not just to command, but in addition to figure out while and the place American forces are deployed. He additionally considers the vote casting files of Democrat John Kerry and Republican John McCain within the Senate, detailing how either males have performed best roles in empowering the commander-in-chief whereas proscribing Congress's impact on army decision-making.
Obama at War establishes that the imperial presidency poses major overseas coverage hazards, and concludes with attainable ideas to revive a extra significant stability of energy. the 1st publication at the constitutional and political dating among President Obama and the U.S. Congress and using army strength, this well timed reassessment of battle powers offers a lucid exam of government privilege and legislative deference within the smooth American republic.
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Additional resources for Obama at War: Congress and the Imperial Presidency
Example text
In highlighting this problem, Peter Pham notes that America’s closest allies in Europe have very different ideas on how to handle piracy on the Indian Ocean and, more specifically, what to do with pirates upon capture. 26 Clearly no consensus exists among America’s closest allies, including its NATO partners, over how to respond to piracy. In addition, it is also clear that the notion of individual rights has evolved considerably in the United States and Europe since 1823. Thus, a law governing military behavior toward pirates shaped around the dominant norms in 1823 is no longer inherently applicable to the modern world.
3 Fighting Pirates on the Indian Ocean Global security threats and challenges continue to evolve well beyond the imaginations of what many thought possible only a decade ago. The rapid increase in piracy off the coast of Somalia and deep into the Indian Ocean during the Obama administration’s first term is one of these formerly unfathomable threats. In 2009, Somali pirates attacked 214 vessels and successfully hijacked 46. The numbers of attacks increased to 237 in 2011, though there was a slight decrease in successful hijackings.
Obama’s strikes have been far more extensive than Bush’s were, as is evident in the figures given in tables 1 and 2. With the exception of 2008, when Bush struck Pakistani targets on thirty-five occasions, the use of drones was an otherwise infrequent occurrence during his presidency. However, upon entering office in 2009, Obama almost doubled the number of drone strikes in Pakistan and then significantly increased the number of strikes in 2010. Similarly, he began to strike aggressively in Yemen, as demonstrated in table 2, an increase culminating in forty-two strikes in 30 Obama at War Table 1.