John Bellinger

In this discussion, John Bellinger, a former State Department legal advisor and expert on international law, dives into the legality of President Trump's military actions against Venezuelan vessels. He evaluates whether these strikes signify a transformative approach to military engagement abroad. Bellinger highlights the complexities of self-defense claims under Article II and the importance of accountability and oversight from Congress and the public. The conversation sheds light on the intersection of military power and international law in a contemporary context.

From April 28, 2018: On Thursday, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates hosted a conference at Georgetown Law on the future of American democracy. Matt Axelrod, Bob Bauer, John Bellinger, Jack Goldsmith, and Don Verrilli participated in a panel on the norms that govern contacts between the White House and the Justice Department, how the Trump administration has broken them, and what can be done to protect the Justice Department’s independence in this administration and future ones.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John Bellinger, former legal adviser at the State Department, and Scott Anderson, Lawfare senior editor, discuss Biden's military strikes in Syria, the Biden administration's justification for the strikes, limited congressional notification and pre-strike briefing, advanced consultation, authorization, and domestic politics, potential changes in national security strategy, continuity of U.S. administration's approach to war powers and preemptive war, PPG implementation and AUMF reform, and the challenges of closing Guantanamo.