War on Terror as a marketing strategy
I recently referred to the GWOT as a “marketing strategy” because terror is a tactic and we are fighting against terrorists, not a tactic. It seems that Mr. Rumsfeld has similar thoughts:
I don’t think I would have called it the war on terror. I don’t mean to be critical of those who have. Certainly, I have used the phrase frequently. Why do I say that? Because the word ‘war’ conjures up World War II more than it does the Cold War. It creates a level of expectation of victory and an ending within 30 or 60 minutes of a soap opera. It isn’t going to happen that way. Furthermore, it is not a ‘war on terror.’ Terror is a weapon of choice for extremists who are trying to destabilize regimes and (through) a small group of clerics, impose their dark vision on all the people they can control. So ‘war on terror’ is a problem for me.
The entire interview is posted at Townhall. I rarely agree with Rumsfeld but I do appreciate his respect for the English language.
