The dictionary of war clichés - parts 1 & 2: Haaretz

Rosner's Blog

July 17, 2006

Like every important event, the war in Lebanon has already given us a large variety of spin and banal political clichés, from Israel, Lebanon and the international community. A leader usually throws an expression into the air that the ordinary citizen will pick up and relay to every passing television camera.

<snip>

As long as it takes: Usually means as long as the U.S. administration allows it to happen. In the current crisis the Americans are sensing there's a genuine opportunity to weaken Hezbollah. They will feel obligated to intervene sooner rather than later in one of two cases: Heavier price in human life on the Lebanese side; or growing outcry from important allies in the international community.

The fragile Lebanese democracy: The Arab world is now working on a new definition for democracy. From now on please use "democracies" to denote countries in which there's a weak government chosen by the people, and a strong militia controlled by outside forces. Thus, the democracy is safe on both accounts: You cannot act against the government, as it is a legitimate, democratically-elected leadership, and you cannot ask the government to take responsibility for its territory as it is too weak to act against the militias, and you don't want to risk its collapse.

Hezbollah is a terror organization: And like all terror organizations, it is allowed to get people elected to the parliament, operate freely in a sovereign state and demand negotiations with its leadership.

<much more in this 2-part piece>

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=739320&contrassID=25&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=1&listSrc=Y&art=2#article739320

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/rosnerBlog.jhtml?itemNo=740278&contrassID=25&subContrassID=0&sbSubContrassID=1&listSrc=Y&art=2#article740278