Barack Obama’s current war powers can be traced back to the time of FDR

In September, a great deal of the debate over the potential for U.S. intervention in Syria centered on President Barack Obama’s ability to take action without consulting Congress. While many argued that this consultation was necessary, modern presidencies have been characterised by a lack of constraints where national security is concerned. Richard Moe traces the President’s current war powers back to the re-election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt for a third term in 1940. He writes that FDR’s leadership at the onset of World War II led to an expansion of the President’s war powers that continued for the following seven decades.