What's in a name?

[JODO 2]

What's in a name? U.S. rebrands Iraq ex-insurgents

Reuters

Saturday, August 25, 2007; 9:27 AM

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. forces have rebranded one of the main insurgent groups in Iraq and now use the term "concerned local nationals" to refer to a group that once claimed responsibility for killing scores of Americans.

The updated vocabulary for referring to the 1920 Revolution Brigade, described by a U.S. commander on Saturday, is a sign of the abrupt change in tactics that has seen U.S. forces cooperate with former Sunni Arab enemies.

The 1920 Revolution Brigade was one of the main anti-American Sunni Arab insurgent groups in Iraq in the years after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and has claimed responsibility for killing scores of U.S. troops in ambushes and bomb attacks.

But for the past several months its members have cooperated with U.S. forces to help drive the strict al Qaeda Islamists out of Sunni Arab areas, part of a new U.S. tactic of cooperating with former Sunni Arab foes against al Qaeda.

Colonel David Sutherland, the U.S. commander in Diyala Province, said his men prefer not to call the group by its name.

"The 1920s as they're called, we call them 'the Baquba Guardians', we call them the 'concerned local nationals'," he said. Baquba is the provincial capital.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...7082500638.html

[Jasman0717 9]

concerned local nationals

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

I agree it sounds silly - but I think altering ther terminology used to describe the 'enemy' is intended more for the benefit of people in the US, than Iraq. Many people here don't seem to draw much of a distinction between the chaotic mass of factional groups who are participating in the current civil unrest. Where changing the name comes to play - is in an altered strategy. That the US military is now cutting deals with the militias to reduce the fighting - rather than the assumption that 'they killed them all'.

Now given the public perception of 'doing deals with terrorists' and the way that could be spun politically its quite easy to see why they changed the terminology.

In other news I read an article the other day suggesting that there's now a bit of a policy shift over the overall objectives. Specifically that ensuring the transition to a truly democratic state is too lofty and long term of a goal, and that 'stability' is the best that can be hoped for at this point.

[Jamie76 0]

Good to know that Bin Laden is just a concerned local national. For a while there I thought he was a terrorist. My mistake.

[almaty 19]

DOUBLESPEAK

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

DOUBLESPEAK

Pretty much what it is. The original double-speak dug them into a hole that they could only fill with more double-speak.