When is a war a "World War"?

Question

I was wondering, when is a war, technicaly a Wold War?

Is it :

When ___ number of contries are involved.
When some certain political goal is at hand.
When the government decides it is.
Or ___________ fill in the blank. (other)

Explain your answer.

I'm wondering, because, I think several contries are in part of our fight against Iraq, and Iran, and Afghanistan, and wherever else we have troops.

Also, do the countries involved all have to be big time, superpowerish contries????

Thank you :)

JV - I was thinking the same thing.
Global war - World war - Global ??? Globe = World

But I do think the superpowers allience thing has something to do with it.

Answer 1

We only have two world wars to use as examples. Many people call the Cold War and War on Terror world wars, but history is very selective and discriminating. So what do the first world wars have in common?

Some have stated it above: superpowers in opposite camps with the majority of the countries on one side or the other. Also the involvement of more than one continent and ocean. The Cold War falls short because it wasn't hot and the war on terror does not involve super powers in opposite camps....just a localized war among rumps states relegated to the heap of regional conflicts.

Answer 2

when "declarations of War" are sined by the many counrties of the World as to whos "allies" they are going to be..or are they going to be neutral..when approached, or they will be considered an "enemy"for non-compliance..the price of all metals goes "up" and congress can get marble for a song... "Peace!"

Answer 3

They say it is a global war on Terrorism and congress did declare war on the eve of the spring of 2003 so technically speaking you can say it is because they replace global which is another word for the world so maybe.

Answer 4

When the war effects the world in high degree.

Answer 5

Sister as you are talking about WARS.

can you explain why did your countries and its allies fight against IRAQ.......

Bush intially told that he had reports that there were mass destruction weapons in that country....... After fighting and killing so many thousand of men, women , children, and destroying the whole of IRAQ , by POUNDING IT with bombs from REMOTE places ......And arial bombardment .....cluster bombing....of cities where families live.......

DID BUSH GET ANY MASS DESTRUCTION WEAPONS....


NO. NO NO.......


Then Do BUSH & HIS ALLIES HAVE RIGHT TO KILL SO MANY INNOCENT PEOPLE JUST BECAUSE THE STUPID FOOL FELT INSECURE IN WHITEHOUSE......(RED HOUSE) RED BECAUSE DECISIONS ABOUT KILLING INNOCENT PEOPLE ARE MADE OVER THERE.......


LOOK AT THE INJUSTICE YOUR COUNTRY DOES IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE..........

GROSS INJUSTICE........

How did you feel when 9 - 11 took place ........ BAD ......

Just Imagine your country did just that in broad daylight to another country not just one 9 - 11 but thousands of them.....

in the name of JUSTICE.........

JUST BECAUSE ONE FOOL FELT INSECURE ..........

Also look at the countries you are fighting against .... ALL OF THEM ARE MUSLIM COUNTRIES......


SO IT IS NOT A WAR FOR JUSTICE.... IT IS A WAR FOR RELIGION THAT THE STUPID FOOL IS FIGHTING........

pull him down as all your hands are red with the blood of MUSLIMS............. AND WHEN YOU KILL PEOPLE GOD IS GOING TO PUNISH YOU GUYS IN HELL FOR THIS.......

Answer 6

Wars are proclaimed World Wars when military from all the continents but one are involved. It is also a discretionary application of terms.
The only countries in current conflict that are big, superpowerish countries (as you put it) are the US and the UK, and the UK is pulling their troops out.
As Australia withdrew action last year, and South America has no involvement, and Antarctica has never been involved in any war, I question why you are bothering to ask this.
World War II was a world war before the US got involved. Brazil and Argentina and Canada as well as Russia and Australia were there before the US was.
But today's history classes don't tell you this type of information, do they?

Answer 7

You are right in one sense to assume that super powers would be involved, however there is just one super power left in the world.
The United Nations organization was put together so that the member nations of the world could air their differences to prevent armed conflicts, but it has no real teeth.
The NATO alliance of which the US, Britain, Canada and most of European nations are members have an agreement where if one the members is attacked the others would help defend against the aggressor. If that happened then you would be in a world war.
Consider this, we are in a world war at the moment, which has Mankind vs Mother Nature and Mankind is winning.

Answer 8

I would guess that if you have to ask, it isn't.

Answer 9

Hold up now. We are not fighting Iran yet and hopefully never will. Many countries beating up on one is not a world war. That is what has happened in Afganistan and Iraq. Many countries fighting many countries is a world war as in WWI and WWII.

Answer 10

It's a World War when most people call it one; I don't think there are any defined standards. I do think Congress needs to declare war before it can be called a World War, and Congress has not done that since World War II.