Many pressures and actors can push states toward conflict. This rule of thumb still distinguishes armies staring across a border from the first gunshot, territorial crossing, or declaration that turns the crisis into war. The party that crosses the border or otherwise begins hostilities bears primary responsibility for starting it. The test is an explicit analytical threshold, with the important limitation that it does not provide a complete account of the diplomacy and causes behind a conflict.
Notable Point · 40:18-41:23
When tension becomes war
A rule of thumb distinguishes a threatening confrontation from war by the first overt act and assigns primary responsibility to the party that initiates it.