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How Presidents Use Military Force Without a Declaration of War
How Presidents Use Military Force Without a Declaration of War The United States Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war, yet modern American military actions rarely begin with a formal declaration. Instead, presidents have increasingly relied on executive authority, statutory interpretations, and precedent to justify the use of force abroad. This shift has raised
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How Foreign Policy Decisions Are Really Made
How Foreign Policy Decisions Are Really Made Foreign policy is often presented as a sequence of bold choices made by powerful individuals. A president speaks, a decision follows, and the world reacts. This framing is simple, dramatic, and mostly incomplete. In reality, foreign policy is shaped by institutions, incentives, intelligence limits, and political constraints long
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Iran Launches Missile Strike on U.S. Base in Qatar: A Calculated Escalation
Iran Launches Missile Strike on U.S. Base in Qatar: A Calculated Escalation On June 23, 2025, Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles toward Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, the largest U.S. military installation in the Middle East. According to U.S. and Qatari officials, the missiles were intercepted and no casualties were reported. While the physical
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Trump and Putin’s 75-Minute Call: Peace Talks or Performance Art?
Trump and Putin’s 75-Minute Call: A Masterclass in Strategic Shrugging In what might be the most passive-aggressive diplomatic exchange since the Cold War, President Donald Trump spent 75 minutes on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The topic was Ukraine’s drone attack that obliterated 41 Russian warplanes in a single strike. The outcome was
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Operation Spiderweb, MAGA Meltdowns, and Trump’s Magical Silence
Operation Spiderweb, MAGA Meltdowns, and Trump’s Magical Silence In a geopolitical drama that reads like a rejected Netflix script, Ukraine launched a precision drone attack deep inside Russia under the covertly named “Operation Spiderweb.” While drones buzzed past nuclear-capable bombers, the U.S. political class responded with a unified shrug. The MAGA sphere promptly lit its
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Trump Misleads South African President With Fake Video in Oval Office Meeting
Trump’s Oval Office Video Trap: South Africa’s President and the Mirage of “White Genocide” During a May 21, 2025 Oval Office meeting meant to affirm diplomatic ties between South Africa and the United States, President Cyril Ramaphosa was met not with policy talk or trade strategy, but with a projector, a chair, and a five-minute
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Cory Booker’s Vote for Charles Kushner Raises Eyebrows and 2028 Speculation
Cory Booker’s Curious Vote: Ambition, Alliances, and the Kushner Connection In a move that left political analysts surprised and constituents puzzled, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) cast the only Democratic vote in favor of confirming Charles Kushner as the U.S. Ambassador to France. The Senate confirmed the appointment with a 51 to 45 vote. It marked
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Trump Lifts Syria Sanctions: A Deal, a Detour, or Both?
Trump Lifts Syria Sanctions: A Deal, a Detour, or Both? It’s official. Former president and current White House occupant Donald Trump has decided that Syria, once deemed part of the infamous “Axis of Evil,” is now ready for a little American forgiveness. In a move that surprised diplomats, annoyed hawks, and confused just about everyone
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The Emir’s Jet: When MAGA Takes a Royal Detour
The Emir’s Jet: When MAGA Takes a Royal Detour Nothing says “America First” quite like soaring over Nebraska in a jet gifted by Gulf royalty. Donald Trump, ever the unconventional statesman, may soon be flying in a Qatar-donated Boeing 747-8, a sky palace once reserved for monarchs. With Boeing delaying delivery of the updated Air
At Political Rift, we don’t watch history unfold — we document the fractures as they rip through the global stage.