What is an insurgent?

[oneighty]

An insurgent is one who rises in opposition to lawful or political authority so it is in my dictionary.

Does Iraq have a lawful authority? Does the United States of America have lawful authority in Iraq? We are the invaders. Do we have any right in Iraq? Are we the lawful authority? We are certainly the might and might is right?

Are those reactionaries in Iraq referred to as insurgents really Iraqi patriots? Are they Iraqi nationalists? Are they as proud to be Iraqis as we are to be Americans?

Is 'Insurgent' a political term such as Gook? Or Jap? or Frog? Or Amerikan? Or Raghead? Or Redskin?

What is in a word?

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[Mattforclark]

1. I'd take out the adjective

'lawful.' 'Guerrilla,' 'Insurgent,' and 'Freedom Fighter' are all synonyms.



"What is in a word?"

A word is a small component of a language, that has a generally accepted meaning in certain contexts by speakers of that language.

[NNN0LHI]

2. We are the insurgents n/t

[seabeyond]

3. i tell my boys

we dont like the way they fight we call them terrorists, but they just decided to fight the war different than the u.s. wants, and why wouldnt they. we would kick their tush if done our way. that isnt smart

why people act like this is anything different than war, is wrong. we kill innocent our way, and they doit their way, innocents die in battle

[laura888]

4. I HATE the word "insurgent"

it is not accurate to describe what is happening in Iraq.

If, in my travels through my own hometown of Alexandria, VA, I were to encounter foreign troops and their weapons as well as mercenaries on a daily basis, I would be hostile to them. I would just want them to leave.

Would I be an insurgent? Isn't this just human nature?

[kiahzero]

6. Depends

Has the foreign power toppled the government and established a new one? If so, yes, you would technically be an "insurgent." You'd also be a "freedom fighter", unless you targetted civilians for ideological or political purposes, which would make you a "terrorist."

[kiahzero]

5. You're putting weight on the word that isn't there

"Insurgent" generally doesn't have the emotional weight of either "freedom fighter" or "terrorist."

My dictionary defines it as one who rises in revolt against an established authority. Like it or not, the United States established its authority when Baghdad was taken, and cemented it when Saddam was captured. If anyone's running the show in Iraq, it's the United States, and it's intellectually disingenuous to imply otherwise.

"Insurgent" is a far better term for the media to use than "terrorist", since the latter appears not to apply - the attacks do not seem to have stated ideological or political motive, in most instances.

[oneighty]

7. Granted.

USA has established authority by right of might. But does the USA have lawful authority? Of course my dictionary was published in 1938, perhaps the meaning of insurgency has changed over the years?

The news people use insurgency as a word to suggest and reinforce the notion that the insurgents are common criminals, which they are not. It is 1984 Newspeak.

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[JitterbugPerfume]

8. Words have power

any one who would say "words can not harm me" is a fool