Legal Definitions - war

Definition: War is a hostile conflict that involves the use of armed forces. It can occur between nations, states, or rulers, and sometimes even between parties within the same nation or state. A period of such conflict is known as a war. However, a state of war can also exist without armed conflict. For example, the treaty that formally ended the state of war between the United States and Japan after World War II was signed seven years after the fighting ended in 1945.

Examples:

• The Gulf War
• World War I
• World War II

The examples illustrate how war is a hostile conflict that involves the use of armed forces. The Gulf War was a conflict between Iraq and a coalition of countries led by the United States. World War I and World War II were global conflicts that involved many nations and resulted in millions of deaths.