# What exactly is the name of this new war? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 25, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926 "2003-03-25T01:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![habs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@habs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/habs)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/1 "2003-03-25T01:44:39Z")
Has there been any serious agreement or consensus reached as to what this war will be named? The military action in 1991 was named the “Persian Gulf War”. What will this one be referred to as? “Persian Gulf War II”? “Iraqi-American War”? “War of 2003”? ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/2 "2003-03-25T01:46:34Z")
Gulf War B or, GWB for short 😉 I am aware that I stole this joke from someone else who posts at SDMB – but it was too much to resist. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/3 "2003-03-25T01:47:21Z")
Officially it’s Operation: Iraqi Freedom. What history will call it no one knows yet. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/4 "2003-03-25T02:43:06Z")
I’ve just seen it called Iraqi War 2003 so far. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/5 "2003-03-25T02:54:44Z")
My God! You mean we can’t go a week without naming something! How can the soldiers manage without knowing the name of the war they’re fighting??? :rolleyes: Look, wars are named **after** they’re over. Sometimes centuries after: The Wars of the Roses weren’t named that until the 20th century, even though they were fought in the 15th. (After it was over, it was referred to “The Cousins’ War.” Shakespeare made up the story about the two sides choosing roses, and Sir Walter Scott called it “The War of the Roses.” In the 20th century, the “s” was added.) Whenever a war is being fought, it’s aways called “the war,” since there’s usually only one fought by one country at a time (even if they do fight several places at once). If you go to anyone in the US and referred to “the war,” they’d know exactly what you were talking about. If we don’t name it immediately, what the hell difference does it make? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/6 "2003-03-25T04:56:54Z")
Personally, I like what The Onion ([www.onion.com](http://www.onion.com)) calls it. _Gulf War II: The Vengeance._ ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/7 "2003-03-25T11:01:48Z")
Operation: Jesus needs oil ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/8 "2003-03-25T15:55:07Z")
“Operation: this should be a walkover two days max, hmm getting a bit tougher should still be OK, uh oh don’t think I should have started this…” ---
**Author:** ![Theom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@Theom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theom)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/9 "2003-03-25T17:26:47Z")
The British press doesn’t seem to like the term Operation: Iraqi Freedom although for the life of me I can’t think why… General term seems to be the Iraq Crisis or The Iraq Conflict. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/10 "2003-03-25T17:45:21Z")
I thought the first war was called Desert Storm, though Gulf War was another title. Desert Storm II would be a good enough title. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/11 "2003-03-25T17:50:15Z")
Again to steal from another unnamed poster on this board (please identify yourself, it was brilliant!) : Desert W Storm ---
**Author:** ![Mostly\_Harmless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@Mostly\_Harmless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mostly_Harmless)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/12 "2003-03-25T18:03:10Z")
From a cynical friend of mine… Operation Gas Station Heist. ---
**Author:** ![Ego\_Mk2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Ego\_Mk2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ego_Mk2)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/13 "2003-03-25T18:11:39Z")
“They saved Saddam’s brain!” or “Slaughter of the innocent baby milk factories” sound pretty good to me. ---
**Author:** ![ForgottenLore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5e9695/32.png) [@ForgottenLore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ForgottenLore)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/14 "2003-03-25T19:40:13Z")
“The war formerly known as the Persian Gulf War” ---
**Author:** ![jonfromdenver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@jonfromdenver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jonfromdenver)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/15 "2003-03-25T20:03:28Z")
**The Iraqi-American Oil War.** It’s short, concise, and sums up exactly why the U.S. started it. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/16 "2003-03-25T20:07:37Z")
Wouldn’t it have to be Gulf War III? The 1991 one used (prior to this one) to be referred to as Gulf War II, the first one being Iraq vs Iran. But now I hear this one being called Gulf War II, to avoid confusion because everybody is thinking of Desert Storm. ---
**Author:** ![syncrolecyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@syncrolecyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/syncrolecyne)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/17 "2003-03-25T20:11:59Z")
“Iraqi Freedom” and “Desert Storm” are operational names, as the Normany Invasion was at the time “Operation Overlord”. I am sure other names will eventually be settled upon. But think of how many names have existed for what we neutrally call the “(American) Civil War” - especially in the South. I think the " Persian Gulf War II" would be inappropriate. The first Gulf War was largely in and around Kuwait, but here there is fighting hundreds of miles from the Gulf all the way to Kurdistan. The “Iraq/Iraqi War” will probably be used in the west, in the pattern of “Vietnam War”, “Korean War”, “Mexican War” and so on. To further complcate matters, before 1991, many people called the Iran Iraq War “The Persian Gulf War”, as it involved a lot of activity in both the water and around Basra and Abadan. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Cobweb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Cobweb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Cobweb)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/18 "2003-03-25T20:42:08Z")
It has many names, depending on which network you choose to watch it on. _Showdown In Iraq_ is one of the catchier ones, with its charming touch of third-rate cowboy movie connotation. But the logical name for this newest reality teevee show is, of course, _Desert Storm 2 - Junior Gets His War_, and regardless of which network it’s on, it’s starting to get pretty good ratings, sure to peak just in time for sweeps week (thus proving that even the Pentagon knows how to plan a modern war - i.e., you don’t need many military allies, as long as you nail down the networks and get good advertising). I hear if the ratings are as good as they expect, there could be a spinoff series starting next year, tentatively called _Dubya Does Korea_, a comedy about a bumbling, deer-in-the-headlights Texan living out a Walter Mitty fantasy of being a tough-guy sheriff whose signature phrase is “Go ahead, punk! Make my campaign!” ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/19 "2003-03-25T21:10:08Z")
The opera ain’t over … Look at the Sino-Japanese war that started in the 1930s. Eventually it became part of WWII. WWI itself was called “The Great War” until WWII got really going. We won’t know what to call it until after it is over. I mean, really, really over. Duke taking over as Proconsul doesn’t count. Since there is a distinct possibility of the war spreading, “Iraq” and “Gulf” terms might have to be replaced by broader terms. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926/20 "2003-03-25T21:28:05Z")
Am I the only one inclined to roll his eyes at the recent tendancy to give military operations euphamistic, politically manipulative names (i.e. Operation “Enduring Freedom” :rolleyes:)? Why aren’t we calling it “Operation Defending America” or “Operation No More 9/11s”? I prefer good old names like “Operation Dynamo” or “Operation Thunderclap”. “Desert Storm” was pretty cool; I don’t have a problem with saying “Johnny served in Desert Storm”. But it I were a journalist, I’d be embarrassed to have to say, “Johnny served in Iraqi Freedom” as opposed to “Johnny served in the Iraqi-American War”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-exactly-is-the-name-of-this-new-war/163926.md?page=2)