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March 30, 2009
Global war on terror – no more
Posted: 09:33 PM ET
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Elise Labott

CNN State Department Producer

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Monday the Obama administration has made a conscious choice to stop using the phrase "Global War on Terrorism."

The phrase, which has alienated the Muslim world, was coined by the Bush administration in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"The Administration has stopped using the phrase, and I think that speaks for itself, obviously," Clinton told reporters aboard her plane en route to a conference on Afghanistan at The Hague in the Netherlands.

The phrase is not forbidden, mind you. But Clinton suggested it was so last administration.

"I haven’t gotten any directive about using it or not using it.  It’s just not being used," she said.

17 Comments
More about: Elise Labott •  Hillary Clinton •  War on Terror
17 Comments
Joe G. (Illinois)   March 30th, 2009 9:45 pm ET

How many trillions of billions of dollars is this new war add campaign slogan gonna cost us..? I don’t mind if we get to put it on the China tab.. as long as we pay no extra taxes like for the other stuff..

Annie Kate   March 30th, 2009 9:48 pm ET

Hopefully this change in reference will assuage some of the offense it gave the Muslim world. Sometimes its all in how you say something.

Sumit Sharma   March 30th, 2009 9:57 pm ET

If muslims felt alienated thats not the fault of Bush administration. Their own guilt of belonging to a community, many of whom endorse the idea of terrorism (jehad), brought them shame and isolation. No matter what name you call, things won't change until the mindset changes. The Af-Pak struggle by the Obama Admin is no different. Thousands will and are being killed from the air strikes.
Its an obligatory duty of muslim world to support the fight on terrorism and present themselves as moderate thinkers who respect other cultures as much as they want their own to be respected.

Chris Warren Iowa   March 30th, 2009 10:00 pm ET

That would probably be because we are all now "Global Citizens" dint ya know ?

Chris
CR, IOWA

robert a bletso   March 30th, 2009 10:22 pm ET

i,m a uaw member obama let us down big today

Lawrence   March 30th, 2009 10:23 pm ET

What do you expect from this current bunch? It is and always will be symbolism over substance.

Ralph   March 30th, 2009 11:15 pm ET

I'm getting a bit dissapointed in the quality of the analysis on your show lately. Wagoner should have been canned. I am glad the government will stop shipping taxpayer dollars to GM unless they develop an aggressive plan to recover.

Wagoner presided over the destruction of tens of billions of dollars of shareholder wealth. Not every car company in the world needs a government bailout – some were better managed than GM. Even after that history, the steward of our tax dollars – our President – allowed another chance for a real recovery plan. Wagoner and his team failed. Even most of the board will be replaced – your analysts said the board should replace the CEO – and didn't even mention the board replacements!

If my dollars are being invested in GM, I want President Obama to ensure the management team in place will be effective. And the let them fail argument is so shallow it should not be aired – that belongs on Hannity, not CNN.

Cathy   March 30th, 2009 11:18 pm ET

And a better description would be?...

Matt, Antioch, California   March 30th, 2009 11:23 pm ET

Why should anyone be sorry for Wagoner. He is getting a $23M retirement benefit. With that kind of money I would leave with a smile on my face. Of course it is not a bonus..............................

jennifer edwards   March 30th, 2009 11:30 pm ET

i really think that people need to give the obama administration time. It is crazy for people to access obama before a year. For example the actor angie horman is stupid

Marco   March 30th, 2009 11:35 pm ET

Anderson,
The bigest problem we have hear . We don't hire people who are multi languages and have multiplay college degrees.. Like my self... We hire people by who you know and how?. The problem is that you need to understand geografical position of country ,tradition,law, languages, people mind...etc.. Sometime need to understand street smart because street talking people NOT... Ideolgy of people.etc... It is very complicated study and issues. So hiring people who don't have exspirience over seas and they are educated on Hardvard that don't make him in my mide good match for job... I hope somebody smart will look on us who love this our country and give us opurtunity to help are goverment,because we been educated here and over seas..

Dave of Detroit   March 30th, 2009 11:49 pm ET

The terms "Global War on Terrorism" and "Axis of Evil"are terms that are used by propagandists to "Polarize" a large population. Then requests for additional power and funding become a simple matter of putting on the pressure to"get" these dehumanized people. The Press core is well aware of the use of this terminology yet say nothing as they use similar devices to sensationalize their stories-A recent example was the outcry over the Brazilian child that President Obama put a personal request to have returned to his biological father in the U.S. after his mother died. I did not see a single interview with the Brazilian man who was the childs step-father or any information on the length of time that he had been the child's father in the real time sense. Nor did I hear if their was a financial motive in the request of the biological father for the return of his son....That is not reporting, that is a biased account of a very complicated situation that could result in the child losing both a mother and a supportive stepfather-why does our media do these things?

Brandon from Fort Worth   March 31st, 2009 12:22 am ET

Proud to be an American, it was always funny that we talked about terrorist orginizations but never talked about the ones who where in this country. Ku Klux Klan is a terrorist orginazation never saw troops blowing down there houses in dirt road alabama. The term was used as a code word aimed at the muslim community, which gave us more enemies than we started with.

Walter Honolulu   March 31st, 2009 3:16 am ET

My hands are clean, I had nothing to do with Rick Wagner's departure.

Jeff   March 31st, 2009 5:23 am ET

"Out of sight out of mind?" Just because the term 'global' is no longer used, does not mean that the administration is pulling its' military out of 150 countries around the world – which include many allied countries, including Germany.

Americans need to wake up to this fact and demand that their military focus on defending their own country (think Pent-agone bombing on 9/11), rather than foreign countries.

Michael "C" Lorton, Virginia   March 31st, 2009 8:21 am ET

We anxiously await to see what the new terminology will be-–like it is going to have a significant change on what is occurring in the world.

victor   March 31st, 2009 8:22 am ET

The phrase now is...negotiate with terrorist! I find it difficult to swallow that the US is considering talking with the Taliban. The Taliban are terrorist. They are killing American soldiers. Our current administration is making our country look weak. They should be ashamed of themselves. The one thing I give to George W and Dick Chaney, they were bold in their approach in fighting terrorist. They were not afraid to call a terrorist a terrorist. They were not afraid to seek out our enemy and kill our enemy.

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