I still ask "what war?" Yes there are still people fighting, but for the most part I compare this to the British and the IRA. When I see an opposing military in the field, I will agree that there is still a "war" in the true meaning of the word.
The Iraqis refer to Desert Storm as "the first American war" and Operation Iraqi Freedom as the "second American war."
By the "second" one, they mean the initial invasion that resulted in the toppling of Saddam Hussein.
There's nothing derogatory in how they say it; it's just what they've called the two conflicts.
So this is a policing action.
The days of two opposing armies clashing in the field are virtually over.
The Muslims learned their lesson about clashing with Western armies in the field in Khartoum, 1898.