[Theodores]

Not really. NATO Article 5 was invoked on 12 September 2001. In that way every country in the NATO alliance was de-facto at war as an attack on one is an attack on all. This go-ahead was given on the basis that evidence proving the guilt of Osama bin Laden would be provided later, so that was a 'provisional go-ahead'.

The effect of this NATO 'trick' was that no presidents or prime ministers had to show evidence or get their parliaments to vote for the war. In effect Tony Blair's mate at NATO made the war possible with one meeting and one press conference, claiming that he had seen the evidence proving Osama bin Laden's guilt. Whatever that evidence was is something that the world didn't follow up on with NATO.

[adam77]

I think there's more to it than that, particularly legal interpretation of 'where is the battlefield' and 'preparing the battlefield'.