Sentence:  We have staved off a <WSD>war</WSD> and , since our behavior has involved all these elements , we can only keep adding to our ritual without daring to abandon any part of it , since we have not the slightest notion which parts are effective . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a legal state created by a declaration of war and ended by official declaration during which the international rules of war apply