Congratulations are due to graduating senior Artur Kalandarov. The Russian and government double major has won a prestigious national essay competition with a paper that reflects his deep interest in the intersection of foreign policy and law.
The , a national network of student groups focused on foreign policy issues, recently announced the winners of its fourth annual essay contest. The event is held in conjunction with , a bimonthly international affairs magazine.
Contestants were offered two prompts to choose from, each dealing with a contemporary foreign policy issue. The first asked what vital interests the US has in the Middle East and under what circumstances military action might be justified in protecting those interests. The second question, which Kalandarov chose as his essay, was “What ability ought a president have to initiate military force abroad without Congressional authorization?”
Kalandarov writes: “In order to restore Congress’s war-making powers while maintaining the president’s ability to achieve national-security objectives, a revision of the [2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force] is necessary. Since the War on Terror falls between a limited conflict and nation-state war, the most appropriate model for a revised AUMF concerning insurgent extremism is the 1983 Multinational Force in Lebanon Resolution. The temporal and geographic limitations of the 1983 statute provide a model for responsible, Congress-led force authorization that is in line with its Article I, Section 8 power to declare war.”
“My essay was based off my final paper for Professor Isaacson's constitutional law class last semester, which coincidentally addressed one of the competition's essay topics,” said Kalandarov. He had to cut his original essay in half, he explained, in order to get under the word limit. “Professor Isaacson encouraged me to be original if I wanted to receive a good grade on my paper, so I am especially grateful for his encouragement. He is an excellent teacher of constitutional law. I really enjoy doing law and foreign policy-related research, so it is great to see it pay off in this way. I hope my ideas can reach policymakers who will shape congressional and presidential war powers in the future.”
After graduation, Kalandarov said he hopes to work in the foreign policy field for a year or two before heading either to law school or graduate school.
Read about Kalandarov's other recent achievements:
Two Senior Russian Majors Recognized for Research Excellence.
Artur Kalandarov ’20 Publishes Scholarly Article on Soviet Germans and Soviets in Germany During World War II.
