George Bush's Rhetoric in the Global War on Terrorism
by Scott Cullinane
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Nearly a decade after the September 11th attacks and the declaration of a War on Terrorism America is still struggling to more accurately define the nature and scope of this war. Debate continues because fundamental questions still remain: with who is the US at war, is it a war, and if so, how should it prosecute such a war? This ambiguity has many contributing factors, but one that is significant and has yet to be examined closely enough is the role and influence of rhetoric. The rhetoric of President George W. Bush shaped the perception of the American public and influenced US military actions and foreign policy. Likewise, events such as the sectarian and insurgent violence in Iraq influenced the words President Bush used. As the War on Terrorism developed the President's rhetoric changed in some ways, but it never sufficiently address al-Qaeda's motivations nor counter its narrative.
Words and phrases often carry multiple meanings and can have connotations that change with their context. Words people do not use or avoid using can equally carry weight by their absence. In an environment as complex as the War on Terror, words are no simple matter. During a conventional interstate war, rhetoric does matter, but it is ancillary to the use of force and the exercise of will. In conventional warfare the central and indispensible factor is the imposition of one nation-state's will on another by force. The words a leader speaks only matter so far as they affect force. Yet, in America's current situation, rhetoric matters a good deal more because the US is not in a conventional war, but something else entirely.
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Scott Cullinane is currently a Staff Associate for the Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. He is also a student of national security affairs at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC.
