What is "declaration of war"

n. A formal announcement by a country or other body with military capability that it is in a state of war with another such entity.

A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state goes to war against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national government, in order to create a state of war between two or more states.

The legality of who is competent to declare war varies between nations and forms of government. In many nations, that power is given to the head of state or sovereign. In other cases, something short of a full declaration of war, such as a letter of marque or a covert operation, may authorise war-like acts by privateers or mercenaries. The official international protocol for declaring war was defined in the Hague Convention (III) of 1907 on the Opening of Hostilities.

Since 1945, developments in international law such as the United Nations Charter, which prohibits both the threat and the use of force in international conflicts, have made declarations of war largely obsolete in international relations. In addition to this, non-state or terrorist organizations may claim to or be described as "declaring war" when engaging in violent acts. These declarations may have no legal standing in themselves, but they may still act as a call to arms for supporters of these organizations.

"Declaration of War" is the second single from Hadouken's debut album released on 4 May 2008. , it is the band's second most successful single, after Liquid Lives, charting at #66 in the UK.

Declaration of War is a 2011 French film directed by Valérie Donzelli, and written by and starring Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm; it is based on actual events in their lives together, when they were a young couple caring for their dangerously ill son. It was released on the 31 August 2011 and received very positive reviews; Allociné, a review aggregation website gave it an average of 4.3 stars out of five. Le Monde gave it a full five stars, saying "Against cancer, an undoubtable force of happiness". The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.

Declaration of War (foaled 29 April 2009) is an American-bred, Irish-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. He won the Group Three Diamond Stakes in 2012, but emerged as a world-class performer in the following year, winning the Queen Anne Stakes and International Stakes and being placed in the Eclipse Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Breeders' Cup Classic.

A declaration of war is a formal act by which one nation goes to war against another.

Declaration of war may also refer to:

• "Declaration of War" (song), a song by Hadouken
• Declaration of War (film), a French film
• Declaration of War (horse), a racehorse
• Declaration of War (album), by Rahowa