Editing Declaration of war (section)

==History==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1987-0703-507, Berlin, Reichstagssitzung, Rede Adolf Hitler.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Adolf Hitler]] announcing the [[German declaration of war against the United States]]  on 11 December 1941.]]
The practice of declaring war has a long history. The ancient Sumerian [[Epic of Gilgamesh]] gives an account of it,<ref>Brien Hallett, ''The Lost Art of Declaring War'', University of Illinois Press, 1998, {{ISBN|0-252-06726-6}}, pp. 65f.</ref> as does the [[Old Testament]].<ref>Deut. 20:10–12, Judg. 11:1–32.</ref><ref>Brien Hallett, ''The Lost Art of Declaring War'', University of Illinois Press, 1998, {{ISBN|0-252-06726-6}}, pp. 66f.</ref> The [[Roman Republic]] formalized the declaration of war by a special ceremony, the ritual of the [[Fetials]], though the practice started to decline into the [[Roman Empire|Imperial]] era.

However, the practice of declaring war was not always strictly followed. In his study ''Hostilities without Declaration of War'' (1883), the British scholar [[John Frederick Maurice]] showed that between 1700 and 1870 war was declared in only 10 cases, while in another 107 cases war was waged without such declaration (these figures include only wars waged in Europe and between European states and the United States, not including colonial wars in Africa and Asia).

In modern [[public international law]], a declaration of war entails the recognition between countries of a state of hostilities between these countries, and such declaration has acted to regulate the conduct between the military engagements between the forces of the respective countries. The primary multilateral [[treaty|treaties]] governing such declarations are the Hague Conventions.

The [[League of Nations]], formed in 1919 in the wake of the [[World War I|First World War]], and the [[General Treaty for the Renunciation of War]] of 1928 signed in [[Paris]], [[France]], demonstrated that world powers were seriously seeking a means to prevent the carnage of another world war. Nevertheless, these powers were unable to stop the outbreak of the [[World War II|Second World War]], so the [[United Nations]] was established following that war in a renewed attempt to prevent international aggression through declarations of war.

===Denigration of formal declarations of war before WWI===
In classical times, [[Thucydides]] condemned the [[Thebes (Greece)|Thebans]], allies of [[Sparta]], for launching a surprise attack without a declaration of war against [[Plataea]], [[Athens]]' ally – an event that began the [[Peloponnesian War]].<ref>Thucydides. ''History of the Peloponnesian War'', Book II.</ref>

The utility of formal declarations of war has always been questioned, either as sentimental remnants of a long-gone age of [[chivalry]] or as imprudent warnings to the enemy. For example, writing in 1737, [[Cornelius van Bynkershoek]] judged that "nations and princes endowed with some pride are not generally willing to wage war without a previous declaration, for they wish by an open attack to render victory more honourable and glorious."<ref>Bynkershoek, Cornelius van. 1930. ''Quæstionum Juris Publici Liber Duo'' (1737). Trans. Tenney Frank. ''The Classics of International Law'' No. 14 (2). Publications of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Oxford at the Clarendon Press. (I, ii, 8)</ref> Writing in 1880, [[William Edward Hall]] judged that "any sort of previous declaration therefore is an empty formality unless the enemy must be given time and opportunity to put himself in a state of defence, and it is needless to say that no one asserts such a quixotism to be obligatory."<ref>Hall, William Edward. 1924. ''A Treatise on International Law''. 8th ed. by A. Pearce Higgins. London: Humphrey Milford: Oxford University Press. (p. 444)</ref>

===Formal declarations of war during World War I===
{{main|Declarations of war during World War I}}

===Formal declarations of war during World War II===
{{main|Declarations of war during World War II}}

===Declared wars since 1945===
Declarations of war, while uncommon in the traditional sense, have mainly been limited to the conflict areas of the [[Western Asia]] and [[East Africa]] since 1945. Additionally, some small states have unilaterally declared war on major world powers such as the United States or Russia when faced with a hostile invasion and/or occupation. The following is a list of declarations of war (or the existence of war) by one sovereign state against another since the end of World War II in 1945. Only declarations that occurred in the context of a direct military conflict are included.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | War(s)
! rowspan="2" | Date
! rowspan="2" | Titled
! colspan="2" | Belligerents
! rowspan="2" | Ended
! rowspan="2" | References
|-
! Declaring party
! Opponent
|-
| rowspan="3"| {{unbulleted list
  | [[1948 Arab–Israeli War|Arab–Israeli War]] (1948–49)
  | [[Suez Crisis]] (1956)
  | [[Six-Day War]] (1967)
  | [[War of Attrition]] (1967–70)
  | [[Yom Kippur War]] (1973)
  }}
| rowspan="3"| 15 May 1948
| rowspan="7" | Declaration of war
| {{flagicon|Kingdom of Egypt}} [[Kingdom of Egypt|Egypt]]
| rowspan="4" | {{flag|Israel}}
| [[Egypt–Israel peace treaty|26 March 1979]]
| rowspan="3"| <ref>{{cite book|title=Six Days of War|author=Michael Oren|publisher=Random House Ballantine Publishing Group|location=New York|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/sixdaysofwarjune0000oren_u3x7/page/5 5]|isbn=0-345-46192-4|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/sixdaysofwarjune0000oren_u3x7/page/5}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|Jordan}}
| [[Israel–Jordan peace treaty|26 October 1994]]
|-
| {{flagicon|Syria|1932}} [[Syria]], {{flagicon|Kingdom of Iraq}} [[Iraq]], {{flag|Lebanon}}
| ''Still technically at war''
|-
|[[Six-Day War]] (1967)
|June 1967
|{{flagicon|Mauritania}}[[Mauritania]]
|1991
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=In Bed With Phillip - 20 Years of Late Night Live - War and its Legacy - Amos Oz |url=https://www.abc.net.au/rn/features/inbedwithphillip/episodes/151-amos-oz/ |access-date=2024-02-10 |website=www.abc.net.au}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=April 2024}}
|-
| [[Ogaden War]]
| 13 July 1977
| {{flag|Somalia}}
| {{flagicon|Ethiopia|1975}} [[Derg|Ethiopia]]
| 15 March 1978
|
|-
| [[Uganda–Tanzania War]]
| 2 November 1978
| {{flag|Tanzania}}
| {{flag|Uganda}}
| 3 June 1979
| <ref>{{cite thesis |last= Kamazima|first= Switbert Rwechungura|date= 2004|title= Borders, boundaries, peoples, and states : a comparative analysis of post-independence Tanzania-Uganda border regions|type= PhD|publisher= University of Minnesota|oclc= 62698476|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=kkIag9gBxacC|page = 167}}</ref>
|-
| [[Iran–Iraq War]]
| 22 September 1980
| {{flagicon|Iraq|1963}} [[Iraq]]
| {{flag|Iran}}
| 20 July 1988
|<ref>{{cite web |author=Robert Cowley |year=1996 |title=Iran-Iraq War |url=http://www.history.com/topics/iran-iraq-war |publisher=History.com}}</ref>
|-
| [[United States invasion of Panama]]
| 15 December 1989
| rowspan="6" | Existence of a state of war
| {{flag|Panama}}
| {{flag|United States}}
| 31 January 1990
| <ref>{{cite magazine|title=Did Noriega declare war?|author=Theodore Draper|magazine=New York Review of Books |url=http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1990/mar/29/did-noriega-declare-war/?pagination=false|date=29 March 1990}}</ref>
|-
| [[Eritrean–Ethiopian War]]
| 14 May 1998
| {{flag|Ethiopia|1996}}
| {{flag|Eritrea}}
| [[Algiers Agreement (2000)|12 December 2000]]
| <ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/107985.stm World: Africa Eritrea: 'Ethiopia pursues total war']. [[BBC News]]. 6 June 1998.</ref>
|-
| [[Chadian Civil War (2005–2010)|Chadian Civil War]]
| 23 December 2005
| {{flag|Chad}}
| {{flag|Sudan}}
| 15 January 2010
|<ref>{{cite news|title=Call to ease Chad-Sudan tension|work=BBC News|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4559254.stm|date=25 December 2005}}</ref>
|-
| [[Djiboutian–Eritrean border conflict]]
| 13 June 2008
| {{flag|Djibouti}}
| {{flag|Eritrea}}
| 6 June 2010
| <ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7453063.stm | work=BBC News | title=France backing Djibouti in 'war' | date=13 June 2008}}</ref>
|-
| [[Russo-Georgian War]]
| 9 August 2008
| {{flag|Georgia}}
| {{flag|Russia}} 
| 16 August 2008
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Georgia declares 'state of war' over South Ossetia|work=The Guardian|author=Peter Walker|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/09/georgia.russia2|date=9 August 2008}}</ref>
|-
| [[Heglig Crisis]]
| 11 April 2012
| {{flag|Sudan}}
| {{flag|South Sudan}}
| 26 May 2012
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Sudan declares war on South Sudan|author=Scott Baldauf|publisher=Christian Science Monitor|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Keep-Calm/2012/0419/Sudan-declares-war-on-South-Sudan-Will-this-draw-in-East-Africa-and-China-video|date=19 April 2012}}</ref>
|-
|[[Anglophone Crisis]]
|4 December 2017
|Declaration of war
|{{Flag|Cameroon}}
|{{Flag|Ambazonia}}
|''Still at war''
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sixtus |first=Mbom |date=4 December 2017 |title=Cameroon government 'declares war' on secessionist rebels |url=https://www.irinnews.org/analysis/2017/12/04/cameroon-government-declares-war-secessionist-rebels |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180421162931/https://www.irinnews.org/analysis/2017/12/04/cameroon-government-declares-war-secessionist-rebels |archive-date=21 April 2018}}</ref>
|-
| [[Second Nagorno-Karabakh War]]
| 27 September 2020
|Existence of a state of war
| {{flag|Azerbaijan}}
| {{flag|Armenia}}
| [[2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement|10 November 2020]]
| <ref>{{cite web|title=Azerbaijan declares state of war in some cities, regions|author=Ruslan Rehimov|publisher=Anadolu Agency|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/azerbaijan-declares-state-of-war-in-some-cities-regions/1987528/|date=27 September 2020}}</ref>
|-
| [[Second Western Sahara War]]
| 14 November 2020
| Declaration of war
| {{flag|SADR}}
| {{flag|Morocco}}
| ''Still at war''
| <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/western-sahara-end-independence-truce-morocco-b97f386e-6ca3-45fb-aefe-13656f37f54d.html|title = Western Sahara independence group declares war on Morocco| date=14 November 2020 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Gaza war]]
| 7 October 2023 {{Disputed inline|date=September 2024}}
|Existence of a state of war
| {{Flag|Israel}}
| {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qassam Brigades.svg}} [[Hamas]]
|''Still at war''
| <ref>{{Cite web |first1=Hadas |last1=Gold |first2=Shirin |last2=Faqiri |first3=Helen |last3=Regan |first4=Jessie |last4=Yeung |first5=Caitlin |last5=Hu |date=8 October 2023 |title=Israel formally declares war against Hamas as it battles to push militants off its soil |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/08/middleeast/israel-gaza-attack-hostages-response-intl-hnk/ |access-date=9 October 2023 |website=CNN |language=en-US}}</ref>
|}

===Other unique cases===

====Russo-Ukrainian War====
No formal declaration of war has been issued in the ongoing [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]. At the beginning of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], Putin gave [[On conducting a special military operation|a televised broadcast]] announcing the start of the invasion with the term "[[special military operation]]", side-stepping a formal declaration of war.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theconversation.com/putins-ukraine-invasion-do-declarations-of-war-still-exist-177880 |title=Putin's Ukraine invasion - do declarations of war still exist? |first1=Rebekah K. |last1=Pullen |first2=Catherine |last2=Frost |work=The Conversation |date=3 March 2022 |access-date=9 October 2023}}</ref> The statement was, however, regarded as a declaration of war by the Ukrainian government<ref>{{cite web |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/ukraine-envoy-to-un-says-russia-declared-war/articleshow/89790558.cms |title=Ukraine's envoy says Russia 'declared war' |work=The Economic Times |date=24 February 2022 |access-date=9 October 2023}}</ref> and reported as such by many international news sources.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/2/24/putins-speech-declaring-war-on-ukraine-translated-excerpts |title='No other option': Excerpts of Putin's speech declaring war |work=Al Jazeera |date=24 February 2022 |access-date=9 October 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/putin-announces-special-military-operation-in-ukraine/ |title=Battles flare across Ukraine after Putin declares war Battles flare as Putin declares war |first=Zoya |last=Sheftalovic |work=Politico |date=24 February 2022 |access-date=9 October 2023}}</ref> While the Ukrainian parliament refers to Russia as a "terrorist state" in regards to its military actions in Ukraine,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/3457746-vr-recognizes-russia-as-terrorist-state-bans-military-symbols-z-and-v.html |title=Verkhovna Rada recognized Russia as a terrorist state |work=Ukrinform |date=15 April 2022 |access-date=9 October 2023}}</ref> it has not issued a formal declaration of war on its behalf.