No more "war on terror"

By Michael J.W. Stickings

In Britain, at least.

From The Observer: "Cabinet ministers have been told by the Foreign Office to drop the phrase 'war on terror' and other terms seen as liable to anger British Muslims and increase tensions more broadly in the Islamic world."

Now there's a thought. Avoid angering Muslims and increasing tensions throughout the Islamic world. You know, try to be a bit more sensitive to the nuances of cultural, political, and religious difference. Show some understanding, some compassion. Reach out. Try to figure out why they think what they think and do what they do. Put ourselves in their shoes. Avoid talk of "us" and "them," of "good" and "evil". Think outside the military-industrial box.

Do you think that would work better than bombing the crap out of them?

It would, but the F.O.'s advice may not mean much. Chancellor of the Exchequer (and possible Blair successor) Gordon Brown used the phrase "war on terror" recently. And the U.S. State Department put it this way: "It's the president's phrase, and that's good enough for us."

If Bush says it's a war on terror, it's a war on terror. Unfortunately, that's not good enough for the rest of us.