Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Obama Has Relied on the Flimsiest Rationale for Launching Attacks on
Countries Across the Planet
________________________________________
Obama Has Relied on the Flimsiest Rationale for Launching Attacks on
Countries Across the Planet
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
August 3, 2016
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A 15-year-old piece of legislation authorizing retaliation for the September
11th attacks is now being invoked by the Obama administration to greenlight
a major military campaign against the Islamic State in Libya, a country
already devastated [3] by a disastrous western intervention in 2011.
Known as the the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force [4] (AUMF),
the legislation has been referenced 37 times total by the Bush and Obama
administrations to justify deployments, bombings, military action, tribunals
and imprisonment in at least 14 different countries: Afghanistan, Georgia,
Yemen, Djibouti, Cuba, the Philippines, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq,
Somalia, Libya, Turkey and Syria.
President Obama has acknowledged that the 2001 AUMF is so vaguely defined
and broadly interpreted that it is drawing the United States into
unnecessary global wars.
"The AUMF is now nearly 12 years old," the president said in a May 2013
address [5]. "The Afghan war is coming to an end. Core Al Qaeda is a shell
of its former self. Groups like AQAP must be dealt with, but in the years to
come, not every collection of thugs that labels themselves Al Qaeda will
pose a credible threat to the United States. Unless we discipline our
thinking, our definitions, our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we
don't need to fight, or continue to grant presidents unbound powers more
suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states."
But on Monday, the Pentagon announced [6] that it is unleashing a bombing
campaign against ISIS in Libya, at the request of a questionable [7] "unity"
government, and despite the fact that the last U.S./NATO intervention
contributed to the rise of the Islamic State. Pentagon press secretary Peter
Cook said [6] the campaign does "not have an end point" at this time.
Obama is moving forward without a congressional vote and instead invoking
the 2001 AUMF, which authorizes the president to "use all necessary and
appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he
determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks
that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or
persons in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism
against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."
This is not the first time the 2001 AUMF has been invoked to intervene in
Libya. It was also referenced regarding a bombing in June 2015 and military
action in the country in October 2013.
Obama is now referencing this authority even though ISIS did not exist at
the time the 2001 AUMF was passed. Furthermore, as Alex Emmons at the
Intercept pointed out [8], "ISIS and al Qaeda are sworn enemies," making it
unclear how the 15-year-old legislation granted authority to bomb them.
If Obama's interpretation of presidential war-making powers seems overly
broad, it is in line with the past 15 years of bombings, deployments and
renditions under both the Bush and Obama administrations. According to a May
2016 memo from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), which was requested
by the office of Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and emailed to AlterNet,
Obama's reference to the 2001 AUMF is on par with his predecessor Bush. The
CRS said it "has located 37 relevant occurrences of an official record,
disclosed publicly, of presidential reference to the 2001 AUMF in connection
with initiating or continuing military or related action (including
non-lethal military activities such as detentions and military trials). Of
the 37 occurrences, 18 were made during the Bush Administration, and 19 have
been made during the Obama Administration."
The 2001 AUMF has been used to justify the most notorious war on terror
human rights violations, including the incarceration of men at the
Guantanamo Bay military prison, where they have faced torture and indefinite
detention without charge or trial. Critically, the 2001 AUMF has served as
the key justification of Obama's new war against the Islamic State after his
attempts to attain congressional approval for the military intervention
floundered [9].
Lee, the only member of Congress who voted against the 2001 AUMF, told
AlterNet she blames House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and members of
Congress for blocking a meaningful debate and vote on the war. "For nearly
15 years, Congress has ignored its constitutional responsibility to oversee
our nation's military operation," she said. "Today, we are involved in yet
another Middle East war, one that continues to expand, and still Congress
has not debated or specifically authorized this war."
Others say Obama, who was elected in 2008 on an antiwar ticket, holds key
responsibility.
"Although President Obama campaigned for the presidency on a promise to end
wars, he has authorized U.S. military interventions in seven countries in
the last seven years: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Syria,
and Libya," Raed Jarrar, government relations manager for the American
Friends Service Committee, told AlterNet. "Rather than being the president
who ended wars, Obama's legacy might be justifying endless wars and creating
presidents that would further demise the role of Congress in declaring wars
in the future."
Either way, it is clear that the precedents of both Bush and Obama in
interpreting the 2001 AUMF will set up a Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton
presidency to do far more harm. Meanwhile, the people of Libya will be
forced to pay the price for another U.S. military intervention.
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [10].
Share on Facebook Share
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Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [11]
[12]
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Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/world/obama-has-relied-flimsiest-rationale-launching
-attacks-countries-across-planet
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
http://www.frontline.in/world-affairs/descent-into-chaos/article8123795.ece
[4] https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/107/sjres23
[5]
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/23/remarks-president-nat
ional-defense-university
[6] http://www.defense.gov/Video?videoid=477326
[7]
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/inside-wests-cynical-plan-keep-refu
gees-out-europe-trapping-them-libya
[8]
https://theintercept.com/2016/08/01/u-s-says-new-bombing-campaign-against-is
is-in-libya-has-no-end-point-at-this-particular-moment/
[9]
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/03/12/obamas-request-authorization-sta
lls-war-iraq-and-syria-marches
[10] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[11] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Obama Has Relied on the
Flimsiest Rationale for Launching Attacks on Countries Across the Planet
[12] http://www.alternet.org/
[13] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > Obama Has Relied on the Flimsiest Rationale for Launching Attacks on
Countries Across the Planet
Obama Has Relied on the Flimsiest Rationale for Launching Attacks on
Countries Across the Planet
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
August 3, 2016
AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to Google+More
AddThis Share optionsShare to Email
A 15-year-old piece of legislation authorizing retaliation for the September
11th attacks is now being invoked by the Obama administration to greenlight
a major military campaign against the Islamic State in Libya, a country
already devastated [3] by a disastrous western intervention in 2011.
Known as the the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force [4] (AUMF),
the legislation has been referenced 37 times total by the Bush and Obama
administrations to justify deployments, bombings, military action, tribunals
and imprisonment in at least 14 different countries: Afghanistan, Georgia,
Yemen, Djibouti, Cuba, the Philippines, Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Iraq,
Somalia, Libya, Turkey and Syria.
President Obama has acknowledged that the 2001 AUMF is so vaguely defined
and broadly interpreted that it is drawing the United States into
unnecessary global wars.
"The AUMF is now nearly 12 years old," the president said in a May 2013
address [5]. "The Afghan war is coming to an end. Core Al Qaeda is a shell
of its former self. Groups like AQAP must be dealt with, but in the years to
come, not every collection of thugs that labels themselves Al Qaeda will
pose a credible threat to the United States. Unless we discipline our
thinking, our definitions, our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we
don't need to fight, or continue to grant presidents unbound powers more
suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states."
But on Monday, the Pentagon announced [6] that it is unleashing a bombing
campaign against ISIS in Libya, at the request of a questionable [7] "unity"
government, and despite the fact that the last U.S./NATO intervention
contributed to the rise of the Islamic State. Pentagon press secretary Peter
Cook said [6] the campaign does "not have an end point" at this time.
Obama is moving forward without a congressional vote and instead invoking
the 2001 AUMF, which authorizes the president to "use all necessary and
appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he
determines planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks
that occurred on September 11, 2001, or harbored such organizations or
persons in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism
against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons."
This is not the first time the 2001 AUMF has been invoked to intervene in
Libya. It was also referenced regarding a bombing in June 2015 and military
action in the country in October 2013.
Obama is now referencing this authority even though ISIS did not exist at
the time the 2001 AUMF was passed. Furthermore, as Alex Emmons at the
Intercept pointed out [8], "ISIS and al Qaeda are sworn enemies," making it
unclear how the 15-year-old legislation granted authority to bomb them.
If Obama's interpretation of presidential war-making powers seems overly
broad, it is in line with the past 15 years of bombings, deployments and
renditions under both the Bush and Obama administrations. According to a May
2016 memo from the Congressional Research Service (CRS), which was requested
by the office of Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and emailed to AlterNet,
Obama's reference to the 2001 AUMF is on par with his predecessor Bush. The
CRS said it "has located 37 relevant occurrences of an official record,
disclosed publicly, of presidential reference to the 2001 AUMF in connection
with initiating or continuing military or related action (including
non-lethal military activities such as detentions and military trials). Of
the 37 occurrences, 18 were made during the Bush Administration, and 19 have
been made during the Obama Administration."
The 2001 AUMF has been used to justify the most notorious war on terror
human rights violations, including the incarceration of men at the
Guantanamo Bay military prison, where they have faced torture and indefinite
detention without charge or trial. Critically, the 2001 AUMF has served as
the key justification of Obama's new war against the Islamic State after his
attempts to attain congressional approval for the military intervention
floundered [9].
Lee, the only member of Congress who voted against the 2001 AUMF, told
AlterNet she blames House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and members of
Congress for blocking a meaningful debate and vote on the war. "For nearly
15 years, Congress has ignored its constitutional responsibility to oversee
our nation's military operation," she said. "Today, we are involved in yet
another Middle East war, one that continues to expand, and still Congress
has not debated or specifically authorized this war."
Others say Obama, who was elected in 2008 on an antiwar ticket, holds key
responsibility.
"Although President Obama campaigned for the presidency on a promise to end
wars, he has authorized U.S. military interventions in seven countries in
the last seven years: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, Syria,
and Libya," Raed Jarrar, government relations manager for the American
Friends Service Committee, told AlterNet. "Rather than being the president
who ended wars, Obama's legacy might be justifying endless wars and creating
presidents that would further demise the role of Congress in declaring wars
in the future."
Either way, it is clear that the precedents of both Bush and Obama in
interpreting the 2001 AUMF will set up a Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton
presidency to do far more harm. Meanwhile, the people of Libya will be
forced to pay the price for another U.S. military intervention.
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [10].
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [11]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[12]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/world/obama-has-relied-flimsiest-rationale-launching
-attacks-countries-across-planet
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3]
http://www.frontline.in/world-affairs/descent-into-chaos/article8123795.ece
[4] https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/107/sjres23
[5]
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/23/remarks-president-nat
ional-defense-university
[6] http://www.defense.gov/Video?videoid=477326
[7]
http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-project/inside-wests-cynical-plan-keep-refu
gees-out-europe-trapping-them-libya
[8]
https://theintercept.com/2016/08/01/u-s-says-new-bombing-campaign-against-is
is-in-libya-has-no-end-point-at-this-particular-moment/
[9]
http://www.commondreams.org/news/2015/03/12/obamas-request-authorization-sta
lls-war-iraq-and-syria-marches
[10] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[11] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on Obama Has Relied on the
Flimsiest Rationale for Launching Attacks on Countries Across the Planet
[12] http://www.alternet.org/
[13] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
