casus belli

Polk’s maneuvering into war with Mexico in 1848, complete with a phony border incident as a casus belli, bears comparison with Hitler’s attack on Poland for its purposeful aggression.

The reaction was insanely excessive and motivated by some longstanding policy goals that had little to do with the attack but the casus belli wasn't conjured up out of thin air.

Only in the past several months has “religious freedom” gained momentum as a casus belli, appearing in Ukrainian and U.S. religious media and now embraced by evangelical Republicans.

"We will not respond by talking about 'casus belli' or not, we will respond with concrete actions," he said.

Having lied to her own constituents, fanning their fears of a rigged election, she then claimed their suspicions as a casus belli.