I’m certain that those of you who have read my Cafetalk biography can guess my feelings about the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan.  However, it is inappropriate to argue this issue in this column, and this is certainly not my intent.  Rather, I’d like you to consider the vital importance of precision in your use of the English language.  I’ve previously discussed this a little in my column entitled “Read, Write, and Listen Carefully: The Danger of Misunderstanding English Homonyms” (see below).  I’d now like you to consider how the use of idioms and phrasal verbs can likewise result in misunderstandings that have tragic results.  First, here’s a little history.

The land that is now Afghanistan has a long history of foreign domination and internal strife.  It was conquered by Darius I of Babylonia circa 500 B.C., and Alexander the Great of Macedonia in 329 B.C., among others.  Mahmud and Genghis Khan came in later centuries, but it wasn’t until the 1700s that the area was united as a single country. By 1870, after invasions by various Arab conquerors, Islam had taken root.

The United States became militarily involved in Afghanistan in 1986 to counter a Soviet invasion.  At that time, the CIA successfully organized, trained, and supplied the Afghan mujahideen (ironically the precursors of the Taliban) with FIM-92 Stinger missile launchers, turning the Soviet occupation into a deadly quagmire as their helicopter gunships and heavy fighting vehicles were destroyed at a crippling rate. The Soviets were thus forced to leave the country.  Incidentally, this entire story was immortalized in the 2007 film “Charlie Wilson’s War”, starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

In the ensuing years, official US foreign policy statements became replete with phrasal verbs and ambiguous phrases.  Here are a few examples:

1. We see the light at the end of the tunnel
2. Americans will bite the bullet for Afghanistan
3. The Afghan army is now taking care of its own
4. We will stand by you until the end.
   

The tone of such expressions is meant to be inspiring, but an astute listener might consider:

So, my message this month is two-fold.  First, whenever you hear a phrasal verb used in a political context, be immediately suspicious.  Secondly, while it’s desirable to use phrasal verbs in casual, day-to-day English conversations, you should avoid such expressions in formal written communications (policy statements, business requests, academic papers, etc.).

Art