In his new book, The Powers of War and Peace: The Constitution and Foreign Affairs After 9/11, AEI visiting scholar John Yoo, formerly a lawyer in the Department of Justice, makes the case for a completely new approach to understanding what the Constitution says about foreign affairs, particularly the powers of war and peace. Looking to American history, Yoo points out that from Truman and Korea to Clinton's intervention in Kosovo, American presidents have had to act decisively on the world stage without a declaration of war. They are able to do so, Yoo argues, because the Constitution grants the president, Congress, and the courts very different powers, requiring them to negotiate the country's foreign policy.
           
A presentation by the author will be followed by a discussion with Louis Fisher, senior specialist in separation of powers at the Congressional Research Service; Francis Gavin, professor of Public Affairs at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Austin; and David Rivkin, an attorney at the law firm Baker and Hostetler LLP.  AEI's Danielle Pletka will moderate.