Casus belli facts for kids

Casus belli is a Latin phrase for an event or a situation that directly provokes a war. Note that the plural of the phrase is also casus belli. If this was an aggression in the sense of international law, the country is allowed to start a war in self-defence. It is common to provoke an aggressor, so as to be able to legally start a war. Examples of this are the Arrow incident that started the Second Opium War, or the Maine incident, which led the United states to annex Cuba and the Philippines from the Spanish Empire. The Iraq War was started by the US and its allies, on the pretext that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Years after the war, it turned out he didn't have any. Another example: the Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was the casus belli for the First World War.

Images for kids

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  Cartoon of belligerent Uncle Sam placing Spain on notice, c. 1898

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  Alfred Naujocks, who organized and led the Gleiwitz incident on the orders of Heydrich.

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  February 5, 2003 – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell holding a model vial of anthrax while giving the presentation to the UN Security Council.

See also

In Spanish: Casus belli para niños