Pros And Cons Of Operation Desert Shield

President Bush, while preparing for Operation Desert Shield, submitted multiple reports to Congress detailing the buildup of troops to counter the hostile actions perpetrated by Iraq. However, the reports lacked any mention of the War Powers Resolution; the Bush administration cited no article or section of the resolution, especially Section 4(a)(1) that would trigger they 60 day time limit. Moreover, President Bush used U.N resolutions to justify his actions, claiming “that he did not need ‘authority’ from Congress to carry out the United Nations resolutions which authorized member states to use ‘all necessary means’ to eject Iraq from Kuwait.”14 As with Reagan, Congress came to a “compromise” with President Bush, but only one individual benefitted

Under his administration, he continued the trend of excessive and overreaching authority in regards to military affairs and war making powers, evident in his bombing campaign in Yugoslavia, Kosovo and Bosnia during the Kosovo War. The Kosovo War, which lasted from the mid to late 1990s, was the result of the persecution of Albanians that resided in Kosovo, leading to the Clinton administration to step in.16 Before the war started, Yugoslavia, which consisted of Serbia and Montenegro, controlled Kosovo. While under the control of Yugoslavia, Albanians in Kosovo formed an army, though it was more of a rebel group, and they conducted attacks against Serbian forces. In Response, the Serbians increased their military presence in the area with the goal of targeting citizens that were loyal to the ethnic Albanian

Congress would rather cater to the whims of the president than to enforce legislation that past members of Congress created specifically to curtail the growing powers of the presidency and future administrations. Ultimately, the War Powers Resolution of 1973 is a complete and utter failure, but the objective of the resolution was both noble and necessary, and blame is does not rest solely on the shoulders of Congress. The War Powers Resolution itself was defective, presidents were able to trample and sidestep the resolution because it was ambiguous. The resolution mentioned the power that Congress held over the president, but it failed to mention the authority of outside forces and organizations. The framers never recognized the power held by the United Nations or NATO, and whether the president had the power to ignore Congress in favor of U.N. resolutions or to assist NATO member states; most presidents followed the will of the U.N. and NATO in international military affairs, therefore reducing Congress’ ability to effectively oversee military affairs. Unfortunately for Congress, another problem they face is that there is no clear way of invoking the War Powers Resolution without being falsely labeled by the president or the opposition party.