A short dictionary of war terminology

The document analyzes the use of biased language in war communications, contrasting terms used to describe allied activities ('our' nation) versus opposing activities ('their' nation). It provides a 'translation' table to strip away nationalist rhetoric and reveal the underlying military actions, such as framing 'collateral damage' as civilian deaths or 'special military operations' as wars of aggression. The author highlights parallels between the rhetoric used by the Vladimir Putin government in Ukraine and the George W. Bush government during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, specifically regarding justifications for illegal invasions and the use of nuclear threats.

• The author argues that language used to describe war is often split between terms used for allied nations and those used for rivals to obscure the truth, such as using 'collateral damage' to hide civilian casualties or 'freedom fighters' versus 'terrorists' to describe irregular forces.
• There are noted parallels between the terminology used by the Vladimir Putin government to justify the invasion of Ukraine and the language used by the George W. Bush government regarding the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
• The document challenges the use of the term 'precision weapon' for guided bombs or missiles, questioning if it is reasonable to use such a term for weapons that typically carry half a tonne of explosives.
• The author identifies similarities between the nuclear threats made by Vladimir Putin and past nuclear threats issued by the governments of the UK and US.

APA

Parkinson, S. (2022). A short dictionary of war terminology. Scientists for Global Responsibility. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/short-dictionary-war-terminology

Chicago

Parkinson, Stuart. A short dictionary of war terminology. Scientists for Global Responsibility, 2022. https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/short-dictionary-war-terminology.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Parkinson |first1=Stuart |title=A short dictionary of war terminology |publisher=Scientists for Global Responsibility |date=26 August 2022 |url=https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/short-dictionary-war-terminology |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{parkinson2022short, author = {Parkinson, Stuart}, title = {{A short dictionary of war terminology}}, institution = {Scientists for Global Responsibility}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sgr.org.uk/resources/short-dictionary-war-terminology}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }