The “blank check” to declare war handed to the U.S. president in the immediate aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 attacks is attracting growing scrutiny in Congress.
As lawmakers advance measures to repeal and change this authorization, peace and justice campaigners say they are hopeful these efforts can help curb presidential war powers.
Thirteen years ago, U.S. Congress issued the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, authorizing the president to “use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or persons in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons.”
Since then, the 2001 AUMF has been invoked (pdf) by the Bush and Obama administrations to authorize ongoing war and occupation in Afghanistan, covert drone wars in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia, military intervention in countries from Ethiopia to Iraq, indefinite detentions at Guantanamo Bay and Bagram prison, and more.
“The AUMF is the core legal infrastructure for most of the worst abuses we’ve seen in terms of national security over past 13 years,” said Stephen Miles of Win Without War. “Drone war, mass surveillance without warrants, the use of torture by the Bush Administration—all of this transpired under alleged authority found in the 2001 AUMF.”
Critics charge the AUMF—which does not have an expiration date—has become a green-light for boundless war by opening the door to expansive interpretations made without transparency.
Robert Naiman, policy director for Just Foreign Policy, told Common Dreams, “Bush and Obama have interpreted that the AUMF, which does not mention Afghanistan by name, allows them to go after ‘associated forces.’ Yet the associated forces list is classified. You and I are not even allowed to know who the administration believes they can target under the 2001 AUMF.”
The AUMF has been fiercely opposed by anti-war movements around the world. Now a handful of bipartisan lawmakers from the House and Senate are pushing to revisit it.
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