dirty war

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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A type of conflict: A "dirty war" is a conflict, often internal or covert, where a government or its forces (such as secret police or the military) use illegal, brutal, and clandestine methods against perceived enemies, including insurgents, revolutionaries, or political opponents. These methods typically include kidnapping, torture, extrajudicial murder, and forced disappearances, with civilians frequently becoming victims. The term implies a war fought without regard for legal or ethical norms.
Usage
  • The term "dirty war" is used as a compound noun to describe a specific, morally reprehensible type of conflict. It is often used in historical and political contexts.
  • It is typically preceded by a determiner (e.g., , ) and often associated with a specific country or regime (e.g., ).
Examples
  • Noun:
    • The term "dirty war" is most famously associated with the period of state terrorism in Argentina from 1976 to 1983.
    • Historians describe the regime's campaign of violence against leftists as a dirty war.
    • During the dirty war, thousands of people were "disappeared" by the authorities.
Advanced Usage
  • The concept can be applied metaphorically beyond historical military conflicts to describe any sustained campaign using underhanded, ruthless, and secretive tactics to eliminate opposition.
    • The CEO accused the rival company of waging a dirty war of industrial espionage and smear campaigns.
Variants and Related Words
  • Counter-insurgency (n): Military and political action taken to defeat insurgency. (This is a broader, more formal term that may or may not involve the illegal tactics characteristic of a dirty war.)
  • State terrorism (n): The use of terroristic methods by a government against its own people or foreign targets. (This concept overlaps significantly with "dirty war.")
Synonyms
  • Covert war: A war that is not openly declared or acknowledged.
  • Secret war: Similar to covert war, emphasizing clandestine operations.
Related Phrases
  • To wage a dirty war: To conduct or engage in a dirty war.
    • The junta was accused of waging a dirty war against its own citizens.
Related Idioms
  • While not a phrasal verb or idiom itself, the term "dirty war" is a fixed expression. Related concepts include:
    • Fight fire with fire: To use similar ruthless methods against an opponent. (This idiom captures the retaliatory, no-holds-barred spirit often associated with a dirty war, though it is more general.)
    • Win at all costs: To be willing to do anything to win, regardless of ethics. (This describes the mindset behind a dirty war.)
Noun
  1. an offensive conducted by secret police or the military of a regime against revolutionary and terrorist insurgents and marked by the use of kidnapping and torture and murder with civilians often being the victims
    • thousands of people disappeared and were killed during Argentina's dirty war in the late 1970s