The Constitution of the United States of America allocates adroitly the powers between the Executive and Congress concerning the dispatch of armed forces to foreign theatres. Therefore, if the Administration proposes, Congress considers, then allocates, or denies, war powers to the President. These prerogatives, which were limited during the Cold War because of the major threat, were reaffirmed in 1973 by the passing of the War Powers Act, which reinforced the capacity of congressmen to act in case of an outbreak of hostilities. Recent doubts over the veracity of statements of the Bush administration concerning Iraqi weapons of mass destruction are likely to set the debate on the martial prerogatives of the Executive and the Legislature raging once again. By analysing the mechanisms of war powers in Washington, this study proposes, by taking into account recent military action, to cast light on how US power is projected on foreign theatres.

This content is published in French : Les pouvoirs de guerre en débat à Washington