When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Vladimir Putin very deliberately referred to it as a ‘special military operation’, not an act of war.
He’s far from unique in refusing to call a war by its name; calling a conflict a war has consequences. And over the course of history, very different types of conflict have had the label applied to, or denied, them.
In this, the second of three short conversations, Jack McDonald, the author of What is War For?, tells George Miller what’s at stake in calling something a war.
Listen to the podcast here or on your favourite podcast platform:
Listen to the first conversation, ‘On writing about war in an era of conflict’.
What Is War For? by Jack McDonald is available on the Bristol University Press website. Order here for £8.99.
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Image credit: Julia Rekamie on Unsplash