{"id":40473,"date":"2025-09-06T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=40473"},"modified":"2025-09-07T12:35:51","modified_gmt":"2025-09-07T19:35:51","slug":"when-it-comes-to-wars-%e2%88%92-from-the-middle-east-to-ukraine-%e2%88%92-what-we-call-them-matters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/when-it-comes-to-wars-%e2%88%92-from-the-middle-east-to-ukraine-%e2%88%92-what-we-call-them-matters\/","title":{"rendered":"When it comes to wars \u2212 from the Middle East to Ukraine \u2212 what we call them matters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Jeff Bachman<\/a>, American University School of International Service<\/a><\/em> and Esther Brito Ruiz<\/a>, American University School of International Service<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is the conflict in Eastern Europe a \u201cspecial military operation in Ukraine<\/a>\u201d or a \u201cRussian invasion<\/a>\u201d? And when it comes to events in the Middle East, are we talking about the \u201cIsraeli-Palestinian conflict<\/a>,\u201d the \u201cWar on Gaza<\/a>\u201d or the \u201cIsrael-Hamas war<\/a>\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As scholars who study<\/a> international security<\/a>, we know that how people refer to a war matters. The name may, for example, signal the speaker\u2019s perspective on who is responsible for the fighting and, therefore, to blame for the death and destruction that follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We explored this idea as part of a recent analysis of how scholars discussed the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 compared with Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The results of our research<\/a> show that scholars used diametrically opposed language in describing and referring to the two wars. While the vast majority described the conflict between Iraq and the U.S. as the \u201cIraq war\u201d \u2013 referencing just one of the participants \u2013 the most common ways of referring to the current conflict in Eastern Europe are variations of the \u201cRussia-Ukraine War\u201d \u2013 which includes both participants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sparked our interest into delving deeper into war-naming conventions. What we found is that the way wars are referred to in the U.S. \u2013 by politician, journalists and in public scholarship \u2013 tends to serve state interests and power rather than necessarily reflect the realities of conflicts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

War-naming conventions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a number of different ways in which wars are named, but they can be broadly grouped around place, participants or time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the first category, you have examples ranging from the \u201cVietnam War<\/a>\u201d to the \u201cFalklands War<\/a>.\u201d Both examples, incidentally, highlight the fact that a war\u2019s name may differ from place to place. The Vietnam War is the \u201cAmerican War\u201d to the Vietnamese, and Argentinians talk of the \u201cWar of the Malvinas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the second category are conflicts such as the \u201cSpanish-American War<\/a>,\u201d the \u201cFranco-Prussian War<\/a>\u201d and the \u201cSino-Japanese War<\/a>\u201d of 1894\u20131895. These are also subject to some variation, known in France and China as the \u201cWar of 1870\u201d and the \u201cJiawu war,\u201d respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wars are named after other conventions, too. They can be named after significant factors that make them stand out \u2013 examples include holidays in which the conflict took place in the case of the \u201cYom Kippur War<\/a>\u201d \u2013 or how long they last, such as the \u201cThirty Years\u2019 War<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first look, naming wars after their location, participants, starting date or duration might appear to be an exercise in objective detachment. But examining why one naming convention is used over another can reveal a particular perspective or bias.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Historian Danny Keenan<\/a> has demonstrated how decisions are made in naming wars that may imply culpability among the actors involved. He notes that what has come to be known as the \u201cNew Zealand Wars\u201d was once referred to as \u201cThe M\u0101ori Wars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was generally acknowledged that M\u0101ori should not bear such responsibility\u201d implied by the earlier name, writes Keenan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Zealand\/M\u0101ori Wars name change gets at a wider point that naming conflicts after one participant can be problematic, especially when there is a power imbalance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take the British naming of their colonial wars after the populations they were subjugating, such as the \u201cXhosa Wars<\/a>\u201d or the \u201cMahdist War<\/a>.\u201d Naming an interstate war based on the state in which the war is fought \u2013 while omitting the name of outside instigators \u2013 implies the culpability of that state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A
A depiction of fighting in the \u2018Xhosa Wars.\u2019 Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And more powerful actors, such as colonial powers, have historically been able to make their chosen name stick, obscuring their role in the violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When apparent objectivity belies bias<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While naming wars after both participants seemingly avoids these biases, what becomes evident is that the order in which participants are listed matters. For example, the \u201cPhilippine-American War<\/a>\u201d \u2013 fought between 1899-1902 \u2013 may imply that the U.S. engaged in that conflict only in response to the actions of an antagonist, even though it was the U.S. that was seeking to deny the Philippines independence<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The results of our research into the U.S.\u2019s and Russia\u2019s respective invasions of Iraq and Ukraine demonstrate how different naming conventions are used politically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIraq war,\u201d we argue, suggests full culpability on Iraq for the war being fought on its territory, despite Iraq having not attacked the U.S. or its allies. It also entirely omits the U.S., even though it was the invading force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, meanwhile, is referred to by public scholars and media in a variety of ways that emphasize Russia or President Vladimir Putin as an aggressive antagonist. Examples include Russia\u2019s \u201cmurderous war on Ukraine<\/a>\u201d; \u201cVladimir Putin\u2019s war on Ukraine<\/a>\u201d; and \u201cRussian war against Ukraine<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times<\/a> and Foreign Policy Magazine<\/a> include articles about the war under the topic heading \u201cRussia-Ukraine War,\u201d and The Washington Post<\/a> and the magazine Foreign Affairs<\/a> do so under \u201cWar in Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although \u201cWar in Ukraine\u201d employs the location naming convention, the other headlines and topic headings use the participants convention, leading with Russia as the antagonist. Noticeably absent is any reference to the \u201cUkraine War.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What to call the Middle East conflict?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The naming of the current conflict in the Middle East presents its own issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New York Times<\/a> and Foreign Affairs<\/a>, both of which we analyzed for our research, as well as other U.S.-based popular news media such as USA Today<\/a> and Detroit Free Press<\/a>, all headline their coverage of Gaza and Israel with the \u201cIsrael-Hamas War.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on what research tells us regarding naming conventions, what might this tell us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, consider the placement of Israel first. This could identify Israel as the aggressor. However, the use of \u201cHamas\u201d over \u201cGaza\u201d is noteworthy. Hamas is recognized by the U.S. and most of the Western world as a terrorist organization<\/a>. As such, placing Israel first actually can be understood as a legitimation of Israel\u2019s violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, their is no mention of Palestine, Palestinians, Gaza or Gazans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is despite Israeli actions long superseding the targeting of Hamas. Israel\u2019s plans now include the full occupation<\/a> of, at least, large parts of Gaza and the potential displacement<\/a> of Gaza\u2019s people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The move away from the use of \u201cPalestinian\u201d cannot, we argue, be assumed to be incidental. Since October 2023, mentions of the \u201cIsraeli-Palestinian\u201d conflict have seemingly become rarer, despite the growing, and related, violence in the West Bank<\/a> and Jerusalem<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the use of the term \u201cwar\u201d in referring to the \u201cIsraeli-Hamas war\u201d can itself be problematic as it indicates a certain level of symmetry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the current conflict in Gaza, that is not the case: Israel possesses a far superior and advanced military. And since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed, those killed have nearly entirely been Palestinians<\/a> \u2013 over 63,000<\/a> as of September 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difference in size and capability between Israel\u2019s military and Hamas is such that using the term \u201cwar\u201d is, we believe, misleading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It may be more accurate to describe it as an \u201coccupation\u201d or \u201ca noninternational armed conflict<\/a>.\u201d A growing number of international bodies are calling it a \u201cgenocide<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Challenging war narratives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How media, scholars and politicians refer to specific wars says a lot about how they would like them to be perceived. It is not coincidence, we argue, that wars and violence perpetrated by the U.S. and its allies are typically named in ways that contribute to a beneficial narrative, while the opposite is true when those deemed U.S. enemies are involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Repetition of such names for war and violence can reinforce narratives that serve state interests \u2013 it makes sense, therefore, for state officials to propagate names that potentially misinform. When news media and experts do the same, however, it undermines society\u2019s ability to substantially challenge dominant framings in times of war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jeff Bachman<\/a>, Associate Professor, Department of Peace, Human Rights & Cultural Relations, American University School of International Service<\/a><\/em> and Esther Brito Ruiz<\/a>, Adjunct Instructor, American University School of International Service<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeff Bachman, American University School of International Service and Esther Brito Ruiz, American University School of International Service Is the conflict in Eastern Europe a \u201cspecial military operation in Ukraine\u201d or a \u201cRussian invasion\u201d? And when it comes to events in the Middle East, are we talking about the \u201cIsraeli-Palestinian conflict,\u201d the \u201cWar on Gaza\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":40474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8025,46,42,295,10,47,296,36,4],"tags":[3704,12905,14718,14695,885,891,886,860,234,16147,949,779,97],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40473"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40494,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40473\/revisions\/40494"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}