A U.S. administration asserted in 2025 that transnational drug cartels have evolved into transnational terror organizations and that the United States is engaged in an 'armed conflict' with those cartels under the same legal authority invoked after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
October 24, 2025
high
policy
Describes the legal rationale invoked by U.S. officials to justify use of military force against drug cartels.
Dick Cheney was a leading advocate for the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq and asserted links between the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and prewar Iraq as part of the rationale for that policy.
March 20, 2003
high
policy
Cheney promoted intervention in Iraq and publicly argued that connections existed between Iraq and the 9/11 attacks, which informed his support for military action in 2003.
The 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force authorized use of force "against those nations, organizations, or persons" that planned or aided the September 11, 2001 attacks, providing broad legal authority used to justify military action such as the invasion of Afghanistan.
September 18, 2001
high
temporal
Broad post-9/11 congressional authorization that has been used as legal basis for various U.S. military operations.
The legal authority invoked by the U.S. government after the September 11, 2001 attacks has been used to justify capturing and detaining combatants and using lethal force against their leadership.
September 11, 2001
high
legal
Describes the scope of post-9/11 legal authorities (commonly invoked in counterterrorism) as permitting detention of combatants and targeted lethal force against leadership.
The Bush administration invoked legal authorities after the September 11, 2001, attacks to justify a declared "war on terrorism."
September 11, 2001
high
historical
Post-9/11 legal authorities were used to authorize counterterrorism operations and related uses of force.
The Bush administration declared a 'war on terrorism' after the September 11, 2001 attacks and relied on associated legal authorities to justify certain military actions.
September 11, 2001
high
historical
Background on the legal-authority precedent often cited in later uses of military force.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Dick Cheney defended and supported the use of extraordinary surveillance, detention, and interrogation measures as part of the U.S. response.
September 11, 2001
high
policy
Cheney's stated policy positions on counterterrorism measures after 9/11.
Dick Cheney consistently defended expanded executive powers and the use of extraordinary surveillance, detention, and interrogation measures employed by the U.S. government in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
September 11, 2001
high
policy
As a senior official, Cheney argued in favor of robust counterterrorism authorities and tools adopted after 9/11, including enhanced surveillance and detention practices.