New Words For War

Tom Engelhardt goes over the latest changes in the Washington used ways of describing war. For example "victory" is out now replaced with “successful in implementing the president’s strategy."

I'm noticing that there is a return to dry and down trodden sarcasm in recent articles coming from the left. It sounds as if all hope in progressive movements have evaporated, replaced with a sarcastic dryness aimed at a wither resistant scourge.

ZNET: “Victory” Is the Verbal Equivalent of a Yeti

Permanent bases: In the American way of war, military bases built on foreign soil are the equivalent of heroin. The Pentagon can’t help building them and can’t live without them, but “permanent bases” don’t exist, not for Americans. Never.


That’s simple enough, but let me be absolutely clear anyway: Americans may have at least 865 bases around the world (not including those in war zones), but we have no desire to occupy other countries. And wherever we garrison (and where aren’t we garrisoning?), we don’t want to stay, not permanently anyway.