Politics: Exploring the Language of Post-Sept. 11 U.S. Policy

The impact of Sept. 11, 2001, forced America to engage in a kind of national "cramming session." Within weeks, such terms as "jihadist" and "war on terror" entered the American English lexicon. It wasn't long before Islamic extremist became "Islamofascists," and within months, America's publicly-stated Middle East policy became one of "democracy promotion."