I’m going to agree with Kerry, but I can’t imagine Kerry stating why this is not a war: Our opponent is a gang of terrorists, not an army. Armies wear uniforms. The Russian separatists are an army; that is a war.
An army is not defined as a bunch of uniforms.
An army is defined as being a large group of people able and willing to use violence to accomplish a political objective.
Our opponents are an army, the Army of Islam. We are in a war. It doesn't matter to them if we refuse to realize it.
Picture this:
* You face a large group of people who are well armed
* They are politically motivated, going into areas and establishing de facto governments
* They have uniforms and a flag and call themselves a state
* They have stated that their ultimate goal is to control the world, one nation at a time
* They kill people as they want, celebrate the killing and put it on TV
* They tell you that they want to kill you.
If you don’t consider yourself at war with them you are a fool and you are going to suffer very badly.