Was this war precipitous as many claim?

Post-9/11 Era Forum

Can someone give me an example of another diplomatic crisis that took LONGER to develop into war?

I am not talking about the abstract "seeds" of conflict. I am talking about the specific diplomatic efforts, with very clear objectives, that were stated and restated, sanctions imposed, promises made, promises broken, and at last - at last - at long last, the consistent diplomatic efforts were finally judged to be ineffective.

Are there any examples even remotely close?