An act of war is an aggressive action by one state against another, which can include military actions by non-state actors. It is important in international politics and may not be covered by insurance policies. The laws of war govern wartime actions, and war risk insurance can be purchased for property damage or employee injury in unstable countries.
An act of war is an aggressive act committed by one state against another. It is most commonly used to refer to hostile actions by a peacetime government that give other states a justification for declaring war, or casus belli. In wartime, it refers to the actions taken by governments to wage that war. In some contexts, it may also include military actions carried out by non-state actors, such as rebels, terrorists or partisans. The concept of an act of war is important to international politics and diplomacy and may also be relevant in other sectors, such as the insurance sector.
A number of different actions can be an act of war beyond the obvious example of an actual invasion or other military attack. A blockade, the use of military force to exclude a nation or part of a nation from external trade or supplies, is an act of war against the blockaded country. Violent covert operations, such as assassinations or sabotage by government agents in foreign countries, can also be considered acts of war if discovered. The idea of peacetime actions constituting retaliatory acts of war is often important to ethical theories about when war is morally acceptable, such as the idea of just war in Catholic philosophy and in international treaties limiting the use of war as a means of settling disputes.
Acts of warfare in wartime are governed by a body of law commonly referred to as the laws of war. For example, under the Geneva Conventions, combatant forces legally engaged in acts of war must openly bear arms and identify themselves as combatants. Blockading an enemy port to prevent the importation of war supplies is considered a legitimate military tactic, but some special practices are not. For example, under modern international law, a ship of a neutral country entering a blocked port can be boarded and inspected for contraband, by force if necessary, but the blockading force cannot simply open fire on a neutral ship. approaching the blocked port. The specific rules imposed by the laws of war have varied over time, created by a combination of accumulated custom, legal precedent, and treaties, and the extent to which they are actually followed also varies.
Losses caused by acts of war are often not covered by insurance, such as home or life insurance, because many insurance policies have provisions specifically excluding them. This usually includes losses suffered as a result of terrorist attacks, insurgencies and civil disturbances, as well as those caused by warring states. It is possible to purchase insurance that covers acts of war, called war risk insurance. These policies are purchased primarily by international companies operating in countries where there is a serious risk of property damage or employee injury due to political instability or violence.
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