Should a country go to war if not all the people want to? Should a majority rule in this case? What kind of majority? 51%? 2/3? Overwhelming? What about pulling out of a war? Should the leaders of that country follow the majority? Or can they act independently of the will of the people?
It takes only 50%+1 vote in both houses of Congress to go to war, but it takes 60+ in the Senate to overcome a filibuster on subjects of much less importance...
That is indeed a peculiarity, but I can see it as a way to prevent a slight majority from taking advantage of the minority. A filibuster could also be applied to a going to war vote.
Since we, in theory at least, live in a representational democracy, where the elected officials, president included, should be acting upon the wishes of their constituents, what checks are made with the populace in general to see if a proposed war is at all desirable? Or does the government know better than the citizens each and every time?