More Suggestions for Talking about War and Foreign Policy
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​The following suggestions are not found in the "Words about War Matter" language guide. The list will be updated periodically. To suggest a new addition, please submit ideas on our Feedback page.  

Terms to Avoid

​advisor (adviser)

Better Alternatives

Be as specific as possible about who it is and what they are doing.

Explanation

Rarely are such personnel only providing advice: e.g., CIA agents, special operations forces, This term was used widely by the US military in the early years of its fighting in Vietnam to obscure the degree of its involvement in fighting. The military has used it similarly since in other countries. (See Christian Sorensen, Understanding the War Industry.)
arm with [arguments, evidence, etc.] ​
equip, supply, provide
 Avoid this military metaphor
building partner capacity 
selling weapons and/or providing training to foreign military forces 
This phrase in the context of foreign policy avoids naming the generally violent nature of the capacity being built. Be specific about what support one military is giving to another. (See Christian Sorensen, Understanding the War Industry.)
counterinsurgency 
military occupation, quashing military resistance to usually foreign occupation 
“Counterinsurgency” refers to efforts—usually by state militaries or occupying forces—to suppress or defeat an insurgency. But like “insurgency,” the term is not neutral. “Counterinsurgency” is the language of violent state power rebranded as smart policy. It frames repression as order, occupation as stability, and domination as problem-solving. It transforms popular resistance into a pathology and militarized control into a cure.
degrade 
Destroy, damage, kill, wound, murder 
Avoid this euphemistic term that speaks about war in abstract, dehumanized terms, thus helping to hide the impact of military violence on victims.
detainee 
imprisoned person, person in prison, person in jail 
In most legal contexts, a detainee is someone held temporarily. Often this term and detention can hide the long term imprisonment of people without conviction. Detainee is also dehumanizing and stigmatizing in defining people based on their legal status.
forward deployed 
military bases and forces deployed in foreign lands 
Avoid military terminology and jargon.
forward defense
aggressive offense
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Avoid military terminology and jargon.
incursion 
invasion, attack 
Avoid this less-well-known word that tends to minimize and hide the violence of one country’s military forces invading another country.
insurgent(s), insurgency 
military forces resisting usually foreign occupation 
“Insurgency” typically refers to armed resistance against an established authority, but it frames one side as legitimate (the state) and the other as unlawful, unruly, or criminal. From Vietnam to Iraq to Palestine, the term “insurgency” has been used to frame anti-colonial, anti-occupation, or anti-authoritarian struggles as threats to order rather than movements for justice.
liquidate 
kill, destroy completely 
Avoid this euphemistic term that refers to the use of extreme violence to kill and destroy others completely.
lockstep
unison 
Avoid this military marching term, like other military terms.
marching orders 
Dismissal, firing 
Avoid this military metaphor. ​
modernization (e.g., nuclear weapons)
Development of new weapons technologies (usually at great expense)
Modernization sounds neutral, even positive. Ultimately it means that increasing weapons’ capacity for violence. 
nuclear umbrella (countries part of or protected by) 
nuclear-complicit states, nuclear weapons-aligned states, countries (allies) aligned with a nuclear-armed state's nuclear weapons policy 
Nuclear weapons are not a device to protect against rain. This metaphor trivializes the danger of nuclear weapons and portrays them misleadingly as purely protective tools of defense. It also hides the degree to which aligned states have embraced nuclear weapons and their continued existence. (h/t Ray Acheson.)
nuclear weapons states 
nuclear-armed states ​
This term normalizes nuclear weapons and their permanence. “Nuclear-armed states” is clearer and more accurate. (h/t Ray Acheson.)
strongman
dictator or other un-democratic ruler (king, queen, monarch, autocrat)
This term equates repression and violence with strength, improving the reputation of such rulers. Use clear direct language to characterize rulers and the nature of their rule. 
tactical nuclear weapons (also low-yield nuclear weapons, battlefield nuclear weapons)
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nuclear weapons 
The use of words like “tactical,” “low-yield,” and “battlefield” hide the murderous power of nuclear weapons that would have at least the explosive power of the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The term also incorrectly implies that the effects of such a weapon would be small and limited and could be confined. This language is generally employed to make the use of such nuclear weapons easier to contemplate. (h/t Ray Acheson.)
Theater (of war) 
warzone 
The theatrical metaphor trivializes suffering. Calling a battlefield a "theater" frames war as a staged performance, almost like a play or show. It suggests choreography, control, and perhaps even entertainment.
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