If you are interested in the war, I suggest you read the FAQ section listed on the war info page.
I've had too many people ask me the same questions over and over again :P
Also, as it stands the way the war is going, it's mostly being rped as political over actual combat.
but on another note, characters do not have to be approved unless they are a leader of a country or on the lists of 'available ranks' in each country's character listing's page (but I think there are only a few positions that require pre-approval) and most of those characters require the member to be active weekly plus be here a few months to be able to play such a role.
So, you can start by joining any 'open' threads (which are all threads with the words 'OPEN" listed in their title)
OR
you can create and make your own unique threads. Hope that helps :D
I can add links if you need 'em
I'm kind of busy now or I'd do it already XD
-the spice