The Great Purple State

War Powers... Who Has 'Em?

Conall & Emerson Episode 16

In the Great Purple State's first ever blurb - a shorter and punchier podcast on a topic of interest - Conall and Emerson discuss the power to wage and declare war and how this power is divided between Congress and the President. We analyze some notable moments in the history of the struggle for war power between the legislature and the executive, such as President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 and the War Powers Act of 1973. We also examine the prospect of war between the US and Iran in the aftermath of Qasem Soliemani's assassination, and the serious life or death consequences that such a war could have.

(The clip that plays at around the 10 minute mark is from the movie Lincoln (2012).