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NEW & IMPROVED Version 2.0
Download the Two-page Version.
Download the International Version designed for audiences outside the US.
From George Orwell’s critique of the language of totalitarian regimes to today, discussions of war and foreign policy have been full of dehumanizing euphemisms, bloodless jargon, little-known government acronyms, and troubling metaphors that hide warfare’s damage.
Think of “collateral damage” (civilian deaths), “overseas contingency operations” (wars), and “bug splat” (killing human beings with drone-fired missiles). Why do so many call it the "defense industry" when we wouldn’t label the gun industry the "personal defense industry"?
This guide aims to help people write and talk about war and foreign policy more accurately, more honestly, and in ways people outside the "blob" of Washington, DC policymakers can understand.
We encourage you to use this guide, to share it with others, and to adapt it as necessary to local contexts. The guide should be especially helpful to journalists and other writers, podcasters and vloggers, policy analysts, teachers, scholars, and people involved in public education projects.
When quoting or copying parts of the guide, please cite it, with a link to the guide’s online home: “Words about War Matter: A Language Guide for Discussing War and Foreign Policy,” ver. 2, May 2025, www.wordsaboutwar.org.”
Think of “collateral damage” (civilian deaths), “overseas contingency operations” (wars), and “bug splat” (killing human beings with drone-fired missiles). Why do so many call it the "defense industry" when we wouldn’t label the gun industry the "personal defense industry"?
This guide aims to help people write and talk about war and foreign policy more accurately, more honestly, and in ways people outside the "blob" of Washington, DC policymakers can understand.
We encourage you to use this guide, to share it with others, and to adapt it as necessary to local contexts. The guide should be especially helpful to journalists and other writers, podcasters and vloggers, policy analysts, teachers, scholars, and people involved in public education projects.
When quoting or copying parts of the guide, please cite it, with a link to the guide’s online home: “Words about War Matter: A Language Guide for Discussing War and Foreign Policy,” ver. 2, May 2025, www.wordsaboutwar.org.”
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Download the two-page short international version of the guide.
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Download the full-length version of the guide.
Watch the event officially releasing the guide here....
For media queries, please email Dr. David Vine at davidsvine [at] pm [dot] me
This guide was produced with support from:
American University, Concordia University, University of California–Irvine
and the
War Prevention Initiative of the Jubitz Family Foundation.