Clearly identifying enemies
Twice this month, the White House has publicly grappled with the
politically fraught language of terrorism.
In the days after a deadly terror spree in Paris, President Barack Obama
was criticized for purposely avoiding calling the attacks an example of
"Islamic extremism," settling for the more generic "violent
extremism." This week, the White House struggled to explain why the
administration sometimes classifies the Afghan Taliban as a terrorist
organization — and sometimes does not.
The rhetorical wrangling underscores the extent to which a president who
pledged to end to his predecessor's war on terror is still navigating how to
explain the threats that persist to the American public, while also being
mindful of the impact his words can have abroad.
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