This article is about war in general. For other uses, see War (disambiguation) and Warring (disambiguation).
"Conflict zone" redirects here. For the 2001 video game, see Conflict Zone.
"Warfare" redirects here. For the metal band, see Warfare (band). For the racehorse, see Warfare (horse).
Clockwise from top-left: Ancient warfare: Stele of the Vultures, c. 2500 BCE Medieval warfare: Battle of Hastings, 1066 Early modern warfare: Retreat from Moscow, 1812 Industrial age warfare: Battle of the Somme, 1916 Modern warfare: Normandy landings, 1944 Nuclear warfare: Nuclear weapon test, 1954
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War is an intense armed conflict[a] between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias.[2] It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular or irregular military forces. Warfare refers to the common activities and characteristics of types of war, or of wars in general.[3] Total war is warfare that is not restricted to purely legitimate military targets, and can result in massive civilian or other non-combatant suffering and casualties.
While some war studies scholars consider war a universal and ancestral aspect of human nature,[4] others argue it is a result of specific socio-cultural, economic, or ecological circumstances.[5]
^"How is the Term "Armed Conflict" Defined in International Humanitarian Law?" (PDF). International Committee of the Red Cross. March 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
^"Definition of WAR". Merriam-Webster. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
^"Warfare". Cambridge Dictionary. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
^Šmihula, Daniel (2013): The Use of Force in International Relations, p. 67, ISBN 978-80-224-1341-1.
^James, Paul; Friedman, Jonathan (2006). Globalization and Violence, Vol. 3: Globalizing War and Intervention. London: Sage Publications. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
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