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Isn't it congress that starts wars?


Only four times in the history of the country. So, effectively, no.


The meaning of Congress’ authority to declare war has been clarified (or changed) over time to mean that Congress provides oversight to the Executive branch’s proactive use of the military. Despite that, though, I think it is still fair to say that the US can effectively not go to war if Congress is not agreeable to it unofficially, as the US hasn’t ever had a situation where its president authorized military use that Congress substantially and seriously opposed.

See the War Powers Act to get an idea of the modern framework for governing war in the US: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Powers_Resolution




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