An Analysis of Presidential Authority During the Vietnam War Through the Lens of Historical Events, Legal Frameworks, and Policy Implications.
Introduction
The Vietnam War (1955-1975) marked a significant chapter in presidential authority, demonstrating the complexities of executive war powers and their legal boundaries.
Presidential involvement in Vietnam began under President Eisenhower, expanded under Kennedy and Johnson, and peaked under Nixon. The war's escalation underscored constitutional questions about the separation of war decision-making powers between the executive and legislative branches.
The Vietnam War served as a landmark example of executive overreach in the absence of congressional war authorization. Subsequent legislative actions like the War Powers Act of 1973 aimed to constrain similar executive actions.