Nivedita Kamath Week #12: Death and Decision
Death and Decision
"The Congress shall have Power . . . To declare War"—U.S. Constitution, Article 1, section 8, clause 11.
The Constitution tries to balance power between branches of government, so how exactly does Congress, the legislative branch, have the power to declare war?
In short, the President must make a formal request to declare war and appeal to Congress through a speech or written report. The House Committee on Foreign Affairs or individual members of Congress have the ability to discourage war through legislation and debate. Congress then gathers and discusses before holding a vote (“Power to Declare War | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives”).
Ultimately it is the Congress's decision whether to declare war. Once a decision is made, neither the executive branch (president, vice president, cabinet, federal law enforcers) nor the judicial branch (Supreme and Federal Court) have the power to overrule.
Every time I learn about War, the consequences seem more devastating and war time decisions seem to stray further from morality. Questioning the morality of war does nothing to prevent it. I often visualize war as a chemical reaction, with dissolved sodium acetate solutions representing unstable economies, just waiting to be touched by anything to set off a chain reaction of crystallization. It just takes one individual with enough leverage over a country to send it spiraling into war. Once the reaction begins, it is almost impossible to stop. Any attempts at removing the already crystalized portion would probably result in residual fragments continuing to expand until all the sodium acetate solution is solidified matter. In other words, war can only end in death and destruction.
The victims of war are those caught in the chaos and possibly frozen in time as part of estimated death counts. Lives can be crumpled like paper, burned, and lost in the wind.
Voting for war is accepting the power of death; however, voting against war is leaving that power in the hands of others. There is no good or evil in war because claiming the power to decide who should live or who deserves to live over who dies defies all moral principles. "Decision is the ultimate power," says Tony Robbins. While he meant power over oneself, this idea translates to the government's role in the economy. The decision to instigate conflict is the catalyst of war, with the potential to impact lives and economies on a global scale and for generations to come.
Protesting war and prosecuting war criminals are examples of attempts to undo or justify war crimes. However, once a decision is made, it is important to accept it and confront the consequences one step at a time. After declaring war, Congress has made the first of many decisions they will be forced to make throughout the war. With the power of death comes the responsibility to make unimaginable decisions.
I wonder if there was ever a war where the congress decided to declare war without the support of the president. In other words, has there been a time where the president had to try and convince the congress not to go to war? It seems like it is always the president trying to convince congress from what I know, so it would be interesting to see if there was ever another side of that spectrum. Either way, I do think that it is for the most part beneficial that congress has the power to declare war rather than the president because I trust a group of people over one person, the president. Hopefully, there will be no future scenarios where this regulation has to be challenged our reevaluated by either side stepping over their boundaries.
ReplyDeleteHey Nivedita, I love how you explained the disastrous effects of wartime with chemical reactions. I think its really interesting how much diplomacy and political process go into officializing something so barbaric. While it is a little comforting to know that it is not solely the President who has power of the army, it is still a little frightening to know that a couple hundred people are responsible for the lives of millions, especially considering how skewed perspectives can get in certain bubbles. It makes me wonder if the process of declaring war should be refined as to ensure that more consideration is required before deciding to take on such a big task and incite so much pain.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I really like your blog title "Death and Decision" as it is not only alliteration but juxtaposes death with the decision to live. Choosing to go to war not only impacts the country but the world which makes it necessary to go through the President as well as the Congress. I wonder how the debate of whether or not to start a war pans out in Congress. There will be Senators who appeal to logic and explain how the country can eliminate a foreign threat to the nation. But I am sure there will be others who appeal to the Senators’ emotion when describing the destruction and the tragedy it will cause for millions of people. At the end of the day, can war ever be justified morally?
ReplyDeleteHi Nivedita! The power the Congress holds, the declaring war, is quite frightening. Not only does war affect the government and the army, it also alters the lives of the citizens of the country. Hence, although the declaration of war cannot be overridden, Congress should still act based upon the preference of the general public. Though war may be devastating, I do agree with you in that once a decision has been made by Congress the people of the country should do all they can to help the war effort.
ReplyDeleteHi Nivedita! Congress really does hold a lot of power regarding war. I agree with you that war has more detriments than benefits. The power is most shown through war's negative effects on citizens of various countries. That power in general is so dangerous as it actually has the power to change and screw up the lives of the American people. Recently, I learned in history the benefits war production can provide on the economy. This goes well with your statement that we need to confront the consequences once the decision is made. I still wonder whether that statement holds true in all aspects. To prevent this discussion from ever being made, though, the importance of voting and choosing the right (anti-war) representatives shines more than ever.
ReplyDeleteHi Nivedita! Although you would think it's good that Congress holds so much power regarding when a war is declared, it's scary thinking that it's in the hands of Congress and only Congress. Essentially, if they declare war, we are in war, it's as easy as that. War is something that effects anyone in the path of it. Citizens who's houses and property getting destroyed during war, citizens welfare and fear for their lives, and so much more. War is devastating and leads to several traumatic after effects, so it's interesting that only Congress gets the say in it.
ReplyDeleteHi Nivedita, it is really interesting to see the rigid organizational power structure that the United States employs and I'm surprised that it has lasted so long without changing in a major way. I'm very glad that war is not a one-person decision, but we've seen many cases where emotion, not logic, is the primary driving force of decisions—like the war on Iran after 9/11. That war is viewed as a major failure and unnecessary by modern scholars. Is there a way to ensure decision making without emotion—even in the most trying times?
ReplyDeleteHi Nivedita! The power of decision is crucial– especially in matters of life or death. In the context of war, such decisions really are what determine the outcome of death. I like how you explained the consequences of such decisions and your chemistry related analogies.
ReplyDeleteHi Nivedita, it seems like morality is often not something leaders think about too much. Sometimes, there are wars over religious differences or even oil and the economy. Leaders have to make an assessment as to how these things weigh against the destruction and loss of human life. Different leaders who choose to go or to not go to war have different principles or different priorities. Our Constitution has created this balance of powers so hopefully, the decision to go to war is not made lightly but with a lot of careful thought and multiple perspectives.
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