Press Statement — Libertarian Party of Michigan
The Libertarian Party of Michigan strongly condemns the recent military action undertaken by the United States in Iran. Military intervention without a formal declaration of war by Congress is a direct violation of the United States Constitution and undermines the rule of law that the American republic was founded upon.
Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution clearly grants Congress — not the executive branch — the authority to declare war. When presidents initiate military hostilities without this authorization, they bypass the constitutional safeguards designed to prevent reckless foreign entanglements and unnecessary loss of life.
Furthermore, the expansion of hostilities threatens to violate the principles of the Geneva Conventions and broader international law governing the use of force between nations. War inevitably places civilians at risk and undermines the humanitarian standards the world claims to uphold.
Our opposition to this military action should not be misinterpreted as support for Iran’s late Supreme Leader or the policies of the Iranian regime. The Libertarian Party of Michigan opposes authoritarianism and the abuse of power wherever it occurs. However, rejecting tyranny abroad does not justify abandoning the rule of law or constitutional limits at home.
Libertarians are guided by the Non-Aggression Principle — the belief that no person or government may initiate force against others except in genuine self-defense. Preventive war, undeclared war, and regime-change operations violate this principle and place innocent lives in danger while expanding state power.
Thomas Jefferson warned against such entanglements when he urged America to pursue “peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations — entangling alliances with none.” The wisdom of this advice remains relevant today.
Former Libertarian presidential nominee Ron Paul similarly reminded Americans that:
“War is never economically beneficial except for those in position to profit from war expenditures.” His warning reflects a long libertarian understanding that militarism often serves political and economic interests rather than the cause of peace.
“War is never economically beneficial except for those in position to profit from war expenditures.” His warning reflects a long libertarian understanding that militarism often serves political and economic interests rather than the cause of peace.
Because the initiation of hostilities without congressional authorization represents a grave abuse of executive power, the Libertarian Party of Michigan calls upon the United States House of Representatives to begin immediate impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump for violating the Constitution and unlawfully engaging the United States in war.
The Libertarian Party of Michigan further calls on Congress to reassert its constitutional authority over matters of war and peace and to immediately halt unauthorized military escalation.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wisely observed, “Wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” America will not build a safer future through endless intervention and undeclared wars. The path to peace lies in diplomacy, restraint, and respect for the Constitution.
Libertarian Party of Michigan
