Bad Idea: A New Authorization for the Use of Military Force
December 19, 2017 — Tommy Ross
Conscientious leaders on both sides of the aisle have called for the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) – the legislative authority underpinning U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Yemen, and elsewhere – to be repealed and replaced. It’s easy to see why: the adversaries we’re fighting (such as ISIS and Boko Haram, which didn’t exist in 2001), the places we’re fighting, and even the objectives we’re pursuing can seem far-removed from the authority and intent of the original AUMF. As Senator Tim Kaine, a leading advocate for an updated AUMF, has stated, “We owe it to the American public to define the scope of the U.S. mission against terrorist organizations, including ISIS, and we owe it to our troops to show we’re behind them in their mission.†It’s hard to argue with Kaine’s sentiment; yet, in practice, legislating a new AUMF could actually harm both foreign policy and military operations.
