Scott R. Anderson is a David M. Rubenstein fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution. He previously served as an Attorney-Adviser in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State and as the legal advisor for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq.
Subscribe to this Lawfare contributor via RSS.
A valuable new database of war powers reports is available for scholars—but absent congressional action, the type of document it is collecting may not be long for this world.
Yesterday, Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a notable statement into the congressional record relating to S.J. Res. 68, the joint resolution on the use of military force against Iran that the Senate passed 55-45 on Feb. 13, 2020.
If the president tries to go after career civil servants, he may trigger some significant legal consequences—including renewed scrutiny of his own conduct.
The War Powers Resolution provides expedited procedures for a very specific type of legislation. This limits how Congress can use them in regard to Iran.
The Soleimani strike was likely within the president’s domestic legal authority to pursue. But in certain ways, it may push that authority’s limits.
In Iraq, the Trump administration’s military response to a fatal attack on U.S. personnel has triggered a new political crisis. The U.S.-Iraq relationship may not escape unscathed.
Our latest FOIA lawsuit.