Eli5:Why do countries not formally declare war anymore?
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“War” has a specific, legal definition. With all the various treaties that countries have signed, like NATO, the UN, the Geneva convention, a “legal war” (if there is such a thing) has to meet certain conditions. If those conditions are not met then there are some international sanctions that can be applied.
Going back to all those treaties, a formal declaration of war against a county can trigger all sorts of mutual aid agreements causing war on a global scale. Look at WWI for example.
A good number of countries require approval from a legislative body which can be relatively difficult, like the us needing 60 votes in the senate. A lot of countries put conditions in place that can limit a nations leader from doing certain things.
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