What's In A Word: The Damage Of The Abstract In War

Using the initial ideas of Terry Jones of Monty Python and U.S. historian Marilyn B. Young, this paper challenges the use of the abstract in security problems and debates. As Jones states, can you fight and win against an abstract noun? In his case, it was the then-ongoing War on Terror. Jones expands on this idea further, stating that such abstraction has the potential to lead to 'forever wars' as, in this case, terrorism can never be defeated. The re-establishment of direct language based on the greater use of proper nouns exemplifies clarity. Precision in language is not a panacea to strategic issues, but it is the only way to start.