Feeling conflicted about deconfliction
A Pentagon term for efforts to keep US and Russian forces out of each other鈥檚 way in Syria falls abruptly from favor.
A man walks past a damaged water tank in Deir Sharqi village in Idlib Governorate, Syria.
Khalil Ashawi/AP
If truth is the first casualty of war, it may be our language that often sustains a fair bit of collateral damage.
The awkward military ballet of US and Russian forces in, or over, Syria has already yielded its first big new military buzzword: deconfliction.
It鈥檚 from a transitive verb, deconflict. The defines it thus: 鈥淭o reduce the risk of collision in (a combat situation, airspace, etc.) by separating the flight paths of one鈥檚 own aircraft or airborne weaponry. Also: to coordinate (one鈥檚 aircraft) in this manner.鈥�
Conflict is from Latin words meaning 鈥渢o strike together,鈥� according to the . The particle suggests 鈥渦ndoing,鈥� as defrost refers to unfreezing something. To deconflict is to take the conflict out, in theory.
Oxford鈥檚 first example of deconflict is from the authoritative journal Aviation Week & Space Technology in 1975. The term is identified as a military term, originally from the United States. It seems to be an American term that British media get cranked up about.
diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus called 鈥渄econfliction鈥� the 鈥渂uzzword of the moment鈥� in an Oct. 6 piece. And actually ran a headline Oct. 1: 鈥� 鈥楧econflict鈥�: buzzword to prevent risk of a US-Russian clash over Syria.鈥� Its article said that the 鈥渁lready brutal conflict鈥� in Syria 鈥渉as taken another ugly and awkward turn 鈥� and it has thrown up a new ugly and awkward word to match.鈥�
Tell us how you really feel, O Guardian.聽
The piece reported that US Secretary of State John Kerry had plans for a 鈥渕ilitary-to-military deconfliction discussion鈥� after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.聽
The Guardian also mentioned comments by spokesman Josh Earnest to the effect that President Obama had discussed deconfliction with Russian President Vladimir Putin.聽
Ah, but just a few days after the Guardian piece, reported a dramatic new development, headlined as 鈥淎 Semantic Downgrade for U.S.-Russian Talks About Operations in Syria.鈥� Forget 鈥渄econfliction.鈥� The new term is 鈥渂asic technical discussions.鈥� Now there鈥檚 a phrase to make the heart beat faster. Why the change?
Go back to the Oxford definition for a clue: 鈥淭o reduce the risk of collision....鈥� That seems an unambiguously good thing. But note the second part of the definition: 鈥渢o coordinate (one鈥檚 aircraft) in this manner.鈥�
Here鈥檚 what the Times said: 鈥淒efense Secretary Ashton B. Carter sharply took issue with suggestions, particularly in the Arab world, that the United States was cooperating with Russia, and he insisted that the only exchanges that the Pentagon and the Russian military could have on Syria at the moment were technical talks on how to steer clear of each other in the skies above the country.鈥�
Perhaps 鈥渄econfliction鈥� sounded too cooperative. The usual maxim in the Middle East is 鈥淭he enemy of my enemy is my friend.鈥� In this case, though, the enemy of my enemy may be my enemy, too.