What Counts as 'War' Historically

On February 28, President Trump announced “major combat operations in Iran.” The operation, known as Epic Fury, has renewed a long-standing debate about the scope of presidential war powers and who decides when the nation goes to war. Last week, Congress rejected legislation that sought to require President Trump to obtain congressional approval for military actions against Iran. The Constitution divides war powers between Congress, which has the authority to declare war, and the president, who serves as Commander in Chief. 

In this episode, Harold Hongju Koh of Yale Law School and Michael D. Ramsey of San Diego Law School explore the constitutional foundations of war powers, as well as the War Powers Resolution of 1973, and how they inform the constitutional authority debates about the use of military force today. Julie Silverbrook, Chief Content and Learning Officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

Resources  

• Article I, Section 8, Declare War Clause, NCC’s Interactive Constitution  
• Article II, Section 2, Commander in Chief Clause, NCC’s Interactive Constitution  
• War Powers Resolution, congress.gov 
• Michael D. Ramsey, “The Constitution’s Check on Warmaking,” Law & Liberty, (January 27, 2026) 
• Michael D. Ramsey, “Textualism and War Powers,” University of Chicago Law Review 69, no. 4 (2002)  
• Harold Hongju Koh, The National Security Constitution: Sharing Power After the Iran-Contra Affair (Second Edition, 2024)  
• Harold Hongju Koh, “Humanitarian Intervention: Time for Better Law,” American Journal of International Law Unbound 111 (2017)  
• National Constitution Center, “Does the War Powers Resolution debate take on a new context in the Iran conflict?,”Constitution Daily Blog, (March 3, 2026)  
• National Constitution Center, “When Congress last used its powers to declare war,” Constitution Daily Blog, (December 8, 2018) 
• Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump (2026) 
• Dellums v. Bush (1990) 
• Prize Cases (1863) 
• Ange v. Bush, (D.D.C. 1990)

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