Among the many powers granted to Congress by the US Constitution in Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 is the power to "grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal".
The United States has not issued a letter of marque and/or reprisal since the War of 1812, and with the rise of the modern nuclear-powered and nuclear-weaponed US Navy, it is highly unlikely Congress would do so in the future.
Although the United States did not sign the 1856 Declaration of Paris that outlawed privateering as a matter of international law, our government has accepted the ban in practice.
So why does Congress need this power in 2015?
The United States has not issued a letter of marque and/or reprisal since the War of 1812, and with the rise of the modern nuclear-powered and nuclear-weaponed US Navy, it is highly unlikely Congress would do so in the future.
Although the United States did not sign the 1856 Declaration of Paris that outlawed privateering as a matter of international law, our government has accepted the ban in practice.
So why does Congress need this power in 2015?
