President's Authority

Over the past one year, there have been heated debates regarding whether the president expanded his powers beyond the constitutional authority in his dealings with the wars raging across the Muslim world, especially in Libya. Critics have blamed President Obama over his negligence in obtaining congressional endorsement for the US involvement in Libya’s revolt. The US president and the military are to blame for the wreckage in Libya by not seeking the congressional approval. Although some proponents of these involvements argue that the president was in accordance with the constitution since he sought the consent of the Arab League and the United Nations, I still believe that it would have been appropriate for him to follow the constitutional approval by seeking the consent of the congress.

The president should not be allowed to commit the country into war without the congressional approval. The failure in this regard means that we will have disregarded the constitutional laws. The US combat operations are governed by the Americans laws, which must be adhered to the letter to prove their validity (Sarat & Hussain, 2011). These laws mandate the congress to declare war whenever necessary and ensure that all American combats are delegated to appropriate tribunals acknowledging the rights and laws of the American people. Therefore, all the decisions pertaining to war should be given significant attention before being implemented. This is the reason why our country should never in the future venture into war without the congressional approvals.

The US president and the Security Council have no authority to authorize wars without following the appropriate steps and procedures laid down in the constitution. However, there are some instances where the president has the authority to declare war without seeking the congress approval. The president is allowed to act in such a manner only when the country’s security is at risk (Sarat & Hussain, 2011). It is obvious that Libya’s situation does not fall under such exemptions hence the president acted under his own authority.