This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A557773. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: The thesis studies the U.S. legal framework on war powers, concluding that it has not allowed the President and Congress to work together on war powers issues. From the constitutional viewpoint, this lack of friendly environment arises from the fact that the Constitution shares war powers between the presidency and the Congress, producing the conflict. From a political viewpoint, this dispute is explained by the presidential willingness to use the war powers without congressional authorization. In addition, every time lawmakers have sued the president for violations of the War Powers Resolution, the judiciary has ruled that this is a political question. Legally speaking, this conflict could end in a constitutional conflict. Politically speaking, this dispute could also have an important impact on the role that the United States plays within the community of nations and on the U.S. national security goal of promoting democracy abroad. In order to offer a possible solution, the thesis proposes legal changes that would strengthen the consultation process established by both the War Powers Resolution and the National Security Act of 1947.
