War is War

[jmm99]

After the Lieber Code and up to WWII, none of the texts in the ICRC Treaties & Documents series defines "war" (or "public war", or "private war").

In fact, the Kellogg–Briand Pact, General Treaty for the Renunciation of War (text at Avalon here), did not define what was being renunciated.

So, among the key ICRC texts before WWII, the Lieber Code contains the only definition of "war", and that limited to "public war".

To be complete, 1907 Hague imposed formal notice requirements (declaration or ultimatem), which if met evidenced the exisitence of a state of war, on state parties before commencing "hostilities" against another state party. The term "war" was not in itself defined, but use of "hostilities" as the trigger suggests a mindset the same or similar to the Lieber definition.

Cheers

Mike