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Was Trump's Syria Strike Legal, Or Should He Have Consulted Congress?

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President Trump ordered a massive military strike against a Syria Thursday in retaliation for an apparent chemical weapons attack they blame on President Bashar al-Assad. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)
President Trump ordered a massive military strike against a Syria Thursday in retaliation for an apparent chemical weapons attack they blame on President Bashar al-Assad. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

Within 48 hours of striking a Syrian airfield last week, President Trump sent a short letter to Congress, justifying his reasons for ordering the strike, as required under the War Powers Resolution of 1973. But there are questions about whether Trump should have consulted Congress — or the United Nations — before launching an attack on the Syrian government.

Here & Now's Robin Young talks with Nora Bensahel (@norabensahel), a military analyst and distinguished scholar in residence at the School of International Service at American University, about presidential powers when it comes to military action.

This segment aired on April 11, 2017.

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