* **Korea (1950)** Substantively correct. Truman committed U.S. forces under a **UN Security Council resolution**, explicitly bypassing a congressional declaration of war. This set the modern precedent for “police actions.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
* **Lebanon (1958)** Correct. Troops were deployed without a declaration of war. Eisenhower relied on the **Eisenhower Doctrine** and executive authority.
John F. Kennedy
* **Cuba (1961–1962)** Accurate.
* **Bay of Pigs**: CIA-run, indirect U.S. military involvement.
* **Cuban Missile Crisis**: Naval quarantine (deliberately *not* called a blockade to avoid triggering war-law implications).
Lyndon B. Johnson
* **Vietnam (1964)** Correct and important. The **Gulf of Tonkin airstrikes preceded** the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which itself was later revealed to be based on dubious or false incident reporting.
Richard Nixon
* **Cambodia & Laos (1969–1973)** Correct. These bombings were **secret, unauthorized**, and deliberately concealed from Congress, directly contributing to passage of the War Powers Resolution.
Jimmy Carter
* **Iran (1980) – Operation Eagle Claw** Accurate. A failed rescue mission ordered without congressional authorization, justified as executive emergency action.
* **Panama (1989)** Correct. Invasion ordered without prior authorization.
* **Iraq (1990–1991)** *Important nuance*:
* Defensive deployments and some actions occurred earlier, but **Congress authorized force (Jan 1991) before the main combat phase of Desert Storm**.
* This is one of the **few modern cases** where Congress formally approved large-scale war.
Bill Clinton
* **Bosnia (1995)**
* **Iraq – Desert Fox (1998)**
* **Kosovo (1999)** All correct. Clinton relied on **NATO authority and executive power**, explicitly rejecting the need for congressional approval.
George W. Bush
* **Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia (2001–2009)** Correct framing. These relied on the **2001 AUMF**, which did **not** name countries and has since been stretched far beyond its original scope.
Barack Obama
* **Libya (2011)** Correct. The administration argued the operation was not “hostilities” under the War Powers Resolution—a position widely criticized.
* **Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen (2014–2016)** Correct. Continued reliance on the **2001 AUMF**, despite ISIS not existing in 2001.
Donald Trump
* **Syria (2017, 2018)** Correct. Chemical weapons strikes ordered without congressional authorization.
* **Iran – Soleimani strike (2020)** Correct. Claimed self-defense authority; Congress was not consulted beforehand.
Joe Biden
* **Syria (2021–2022)** Correct. Airstrikes justified as self-defense.
* **Somalia & Yemen (ongoing)** Correct. Operations continue under **prior AUMFs**, not new authorizations.
**Donald Trump (second term)**
• **Venezuela (January 2026)** – U.S. forces conducted a surprise military raid in Caracas capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and engaged in related strikes on Venezuelan targets without prior congressional authorization or a declaration of war. The operation, widely characterized as a unilateral executive action, has drawn significant congressional criticism for bypassing the War Powers Resolution and not obtaining formal congressional approval. [The Washington Post+1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/03/venezuela-maduro-capture-inside-raid/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
• **Syria (December 2025)** – U.S. forces carried out retaliatory airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets following an ambush attack that killed U.S. service members and a civilian interpreter. These strikes were ordered unilaterally by the president and executed without specific new authorization from Congress. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hawkeye_Strike?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
• **Venezuela region strikes (2025)** – Throughout late 2025, U.S. military and CIA actions—including strikes on vessels and alleged drug-related infrastructure near and in Venezuelan territory—were undertaken based on executive authority and terrorism/drug interdiction justifications rather than explicit congressional war powers approval. [congress.gov+1](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12618?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
…
The presidency wasn’t tamed with Nixon, it was at best, struck with the tamer’s whip. It escaped a few times since then and ran amok.
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President-by-President Review
Harry S. Truman
* **Korea (1950)** Substantively correct. Truman committed U.S. forces under a **UN Security Council resolution**, explicitly bypassing a congressional declaration of war. This set the modern precedent for “police actions.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
* **Lebanon (1958)** Correct. Troops were deployed without a declaration of war. Eisenhower relied on the **Eisenhower Doctrine** and executive authority.
John F. Kennedy
* **Cuba (1961–1962)** Accurate.
* **Bay of Pigs**: CIA-run, indirect U.S. military involvement.
* **Cuban Missile Crisis**: Naval quarantine (deliberately *not* called a blockade to avoid triggering war-law implications).
Lyndon B. Johnson
* **Vietnam (1964)** Correct and important. The **Gulf of Tonkin airstrikes preceded** the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which itself was later revealed to be based on dubious or false incident reporting.
Richard Nixon
* **Cambodia & Laos (1969–1973)** Correct. These bombings were **secret, unauthorized**, and deliberately concealed from Congress, directly contributing to passage of the War Powers Resolution.
Jimmy Carter
* **Iran (1980) – Operation Eagle Claw** Accurate. A failed rescue mission ordered without congressional authorization, justified as executive emergency action.
Ronald Reagan
* **Grenada (1983)** Correct. No prior congressional approval.
* **Libya (1986)** Correct. Retaliatory airstrikes ordered unilaterally.
George H. W. Bush
* **Panama (1989)** Correct. Invasion ordered without prior authorization.
* **Iraq (1990–1991)** *Important nuance*:
* Defensive deployments and some actions occurred earlier, but **Congress authorized force (Jan 1991) before the main combat phase of Desert Storm**.
* This is one of the **few modern cases** where Congress formally approved large-scale war.
Bill Clinton
* **Bosnia (1995)**
* **Iraq – Desert Fox (1998)**
* **Kosovo (1999)** All correct. Clinton relied on **NATO authority and executive power**, explicitly rejecting the need for congressional approval.
George W. Bush
* **Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia (2001–2009)** Correct framing. These relied on the **2001 AUMF**, which did **not** name countries and has since been stretched far beyond its original scope.
Barack Obama
* **Libya (2011)** Correct. The administration argued the operation was not “hostilities” under the War Powers Resolution—a position widely criticized.
* **Syria, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen (2014–2016)** Correct. Continued reliance on the **2001 AUMF**, despite ISIS not existing in 2001.
Donald Trump
* **Syria (2017, 2018)** Correct. Chemical weapons strikes ordered without congressional authorization.
* **Iran – Soleimani strike (2020)** Correct. Claimed self-defense authority; Congress was not consulted beforehand.
Joe Biden
* **Syria (2021–2022)** Correct. Airstrikes justified as self-defense.
* **Somalia & Yemen (ongoing)** Correct. Operations continue under **prior AUMFs**, not new authorizations.
**Donald Trump (second term)**
• **Venezuela (January 2026)** – U.S. forces conducted a surprise military raid in Caracas capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife and engaged in related strikes on Venezuelan targets without prior congressional authorization or a declaration of war. The operation, widely characterized as a unilateral executive action, has drawn significant congressional criticism for bypassing the War Powers Resolution and not obtaining formal congressional approval. [The Washington Post+1](https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2026/01/03/venezuela-maduro-capture-inside-raid/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
• **Syria (December 2025)** – U.S. forces carried out retaliatory airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets following an ambush attack that killed U.S. service members and a civilian interpreter. These strikes were ordered unilaterally by the president and executed without specific new authorization from Congress. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Hawkeye_Strike?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
• **Venezuela region strikes (2025)** – Throughout late 2025, U.S. military and CIA actions—including strikes on vessels and alleged drug-related infrastructure near and in Venezuelan territory—were undertaken based on executive authority and terrorism/drug interdiction justifications rather than explicit congressional war powers approval. [congress.gov+1](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IN12618?utm_source=chatgpt.com)
…
The presidency wasn’t tamed with Nixon, it was at best, struck with the tamer’s whip. It escaped a few times since then and ran amok.