LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Civil War: Conflict
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The Final Record of the Diplomatic Conference of Geneva of 1949, (Volume II-B, p. 121) does not specifically define the term ‘civil war’. It did... describe the criteria that separate any act committed by force of arms (anarchy, terrorism, or plain banditry) from those qualifying as ‘armed conflict not of an international character’ which includes civil wars. Among those conditions listed are these four basic requirements.
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The sectarian conflict in Iraq is not a civil war. Civil wars end when one faction achieves power and another loses it. There are at least four factions in this conflict at this point, and more will probably develop in the future. It is doubtful that any of these factions can gain control over all the others. The only way that one faction can win is to eliminate the others.
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The U.S. military has adopted the principles set by the Diplomatic Conference of Geneva for their definition of civil war. However, it does include an additional requirement for identifiable armed forces. The December 1990 version of FM 100-20 (Military Operations in Low Intensity Conflict) defines a civil war as:
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