In recent days both Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong have said their policy is that the Iran War should ‘de-escalate.’
Both have announced that their ambition is to see the battle in the Middle East ‘de-escalate.’
But what do they mean by that word?
Do they even know what they mean?
The word ‘de-escalate’ is recorded from 1964, as the negative form of the verb ‘to escalate’.
That goes back to 1922, and it comes from the noun ‘escalator’—which (in turn) was coined by the Otis Elevator Company in 1900 as the tradename for its newly invented moving staircase.
By 1934 the verb ‘to escalate’ was being used in both business and military contexts to mean ‘to increase.’
And the word still means ‘to increase or be increased rapidly in scale or degree’ (Chambers English Dictionary).
Hence, when ‘de-escalate’ finally appeared (in 1964) it meant ‘to decrease, to grow smaller.’
So, when Wong and Albanese call on the Iran War to be ‘decrease’ or ‘grow smaller’ what (exactly) to they mean?
Are they saying that both sides should keep on firing missiles, but should fire slightly fewer missiles?
Are the saying that both America and Israel can keep on attacking Iranian targets, but should attack fewer targets less often?
Are they saying that Iran can keep attacking gulf states, but should attack fewer gulf states, and only occasionally?
It looks as though Wong and Albanese are proposing a military tactic, but it’s not at all clear what military tactic they have in mind.
Or are they simply using the English word ‘de-escalate’ in an empty and meaningless fashion to show that they are nice people who don’t like to see a war going on?
Is their use of ‘de-escalate’ just being used by Wong and Albanese as signal of their niceness, with no real suggestion as to what should happen in the Middle East?
Is ‘de-escalate’ the policy you have when you don’t have a policy?
Tonight I will join Peta Credlin for 'Words Matter' on Sky News.
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