Creating illusions : The media coverage of the Syrian armed opposition forces
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| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | The mainstream media have widely and frequently used the term ‘moderate rebels’, when referring to an opposition faction in the Syrian civil war. A number of armed groups have fought against Syrian government forces since the war began in 2011. Over recent years, it has become almost impossible to clearly distinguish between opposition factions and what they stand for. Besides the groups associated with extreme Islamic ideology, a seemingly contrasting category has come into existence, an armed group referred to as ‘moderate rebels’, and the use of this term has become widespread. ‘Moderate rebels’ is not the legitimate name of a faction or armed group. None of the warring parties go by this name. The question then arises: Who are the ‘moderate rebels’? Is this a label created by Western politicians and media to denote an existing group in the conflict? If so, another question arises: With what intention has this term been coined and what are the effects of its extensive usage? The words ‘moderate’ and ‘rebel’ each have a given meaning which is generally understood. By connecting the two words and using them as a newly coined term in the specific context of an armed civil war conflict, the expression attains a new meaning. Not only the context, but also the original intention of its usage in connection to the presumed impact of this connotation plays an important role in the understanding of ‘moderate rebels’. Drawing on the principles of Pragmatics and Critical Discourse Analyses, which amongst others study context of situation, manipulation of contexts, presupposition, the addresser’s intention, or the power of language, some insights can be offered into the aforementioned questions. |
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