A Working Definition of War
From Robert L. O'Connell, The Ride of the Second Horseman: The Birth and Death of War (Oxford University Press, 1995), p. 5:
“[W]arfare—organized fighting . . . should be understood to encompass most . . . of the following characteristics. There must be an element of premeditation and planning; it is not simply a random emotion-driven act. Nor is it concerned primarily with the individual or those closely related but instead focuses on societal issues, with the intent of resolving them by force, using resources of the group. Similarly, war implies direction by some form of governmental structure, and a military determined at least in part by that structure. It is assumed that combatants are willing . . . and able to conduct a somewhat protracted campaign aimed at palpable economic and/or political goals, though these may be as simple as defense and survival. Participants also are presumed ready to apply lethal violence and risk injury and death in pursuit of those objectives and in accordance with the dictates of the command authority. Finally, some understanding can be attributed to the parties involved that the results of war, for good or ill, will be more lasting than momentary.”