Iran, Regime Change, and the War Powers Act
From The Libertarian by The Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin
March 4, 2026 · 27 min · Season 1 · Episode 16
About this episode
Richard Epstein discusses the U.S. strike on Iran and the implications of the War Powers Act.
Richard Epstein defends the U.S. strike on Iran as a necessary act of preemptive self-defense, arguing that waiting for an “imminent” attack would have been reckless in the face of a hostile regime pursuing nuclear capability. He also dives into the War Powers Act, executive authority, regime change, and what “victory” would actually mean—while weighing the risks of escalation against the dangers of hesitation. Is this decisive statecraft or constitutional overreach? Epstein makes the Libertarian hawk case.
People in this episode
Host: The Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin
Guest: Richard Epstein
Topics covered
- U.S. foreign policy
- Iran
- War Powers Act
- regime change
- self-defense
- executive authority
- escalation risks
Keywords
- Iran
- War Powers Act
- self-defense
- regime change
- executive authority
- escalation
- Libertarian hawk
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin
Books & works: War Powers Act
Places: Iran
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