U.S. President Wields Unchecked War Power, Violates International Law, Jeopardizes World Order in Iran

Le Monde frames the conflict over Iran as a "'chosen war'" that breaches basic international law and risks a wider conflagration, arguing that the campaign "violates the fundamental principle of international law, the promise of 'sovereign equality' and 'territorial integrity' enshrined in Article 2 of the United Nations Charter."

“The 'chosen war' taking place in Iran — and which could spread beyond its borders — violates the fundamental principle of international law, the promise of 'sovereign equality' and 'territorial integrity' enshrined in Article 2 of the United Nations Charter”

Le Monde

The paper ties the danger of escalation directly to weaknesses in U.S. constitutional checks on the presidency, saying "The considerable risks of escalation into a world war cannot be understood or addressed without a clear analysis of how the U.S. Constitution has failed and why it failed," and stating plainly that "its causes, however, lie in the failure of the American Constitution."

Le Monde

Le Monde emphasises that the U.S. Constitution vests the formal power to declare war in Congress — "The U.S. Constitution assigns to Congress, not the presidency, the power to declare war" —

while acknowledging the historical practice that a president may respond to sudden attacks: "Since the 1790s it has been accepted that this does not prevent the White House from reacting to 'sudden attacks.'"

Le Monde

The article notes the constitutional design intended to curb permanent military commitments by imposing limits on appropriations: "To ensure legislative control over the armed forces, the Constitution also imposes a time limit on military expenditures: fearing the creation of standing armies, the Founding Fathers established a two-year limit on any appropriation for the Army or the Navy."

The article traces how those constitutional constraints were undermined by twentieth-century developments: "Congress last declared war on June 2, 1942, against Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania," and "The budgetary limits on military capabilities, meanwhile, worked only until World War II."

“The 'chosen war' taking place in Iran — and which could spread beyond its borders — violates the fundamental principle of international law, the promise of 'sovereign equality' and 'territorial integrity' enshrined in Article 2 of the United Nations Charter”

Le Monde

Le Monde documents the rapid militarisation and financial changes in that era — "Between 1939 and 1943, U.S. Navy personnel rose from roughly 125,000 to 2.3 million men under arms: to finance the war effort, the government then introduced withholding tax" —

arguing that new revenue mechanisms and larger standing forces made prolonged, president-driven military engagement possible despite Congress's formal declaration power.

Le Monde concludes that those historical shifts have left Congress without practical control over modern uses of force: "Today, Congress has no concrete means to exercise control over the use of military force. Its power to declare war has been eroded through neglect."

The paper argues that a large standing army and the fiscal reality of funding mean Congress "has no choice but to approve funding," and that both presidents and "above all the general public" have become accustomed to military action abroad "without Congress's authorization,"

Le Monde

producing a structural path to unchecked presidential war-making with dangerous implications for the Iran confrontation and world order.