dirty war
2
9.2
- noun
- /ˈdɜrti wɔr/
- Offensive
:
guerra sucia
- Third, in more remote regions of the country, and partly in response to the government's peace policy, paramilitary bands funded by traffickers were starting to develop a "dirty war" against the guerrillas, the population that supposedly supported them, and the political left.
- state dirty war
Examples
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The tactics used in this "dirty war" (Frontalini and Caiati 1984) included clandestinely abducting, torturing, and assassinating those whom the government believed to be subversives.
Academic text (1998) -
This could mean an open campaign against the insurgents or an intensified dirty war by the paramilitary forces.
Academic text (1999) -
So he starts, basically, a dirty war in these Central American countries.
Blog text (17) -
Observe Mexico today for ideas on how this type of dirty war is fought.
Blog text (26) -
I don't think the Reagan administration should have supported the dirty wars of Central America, full stop.
Blog text (11) -
Human rights organizations estimate that roughly 30,000 people were subjected to torture and execution in the "dirty war" of 1976-1983.
Academic text (2003) -
Despite the limited duration of the 1980s "dirty war" against ETA by the GAL, Spain has failed to prosecute those guilty of crimes during that period.
Academic text (2006) -
During Argentina's dirty war, thousands of civilians were killed by the military government.
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Many survivors of the dirty war in Argentina continue to seek justice for their lost loved ones.
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The dirty war tactics included widespread kidnapping and torture of those deemed enemies of the state.
How Violent
Surface Forms
Morphology
A B1 learner who knows 'dirty' (dishonest/unfair) and 'war' (organized campaign) can readily infer that a 'dirty war' is an unethical or illegitimate campaign — the modifier 'dirty' transparently signals immoral or covert methods. However, the specific political sense (state-sponsored clandestine campaign involving kidnappings, torture, disappearances) is specialized and not fully predictable from the words alone, so the expression requires some prior socio-political knowledge.
Etymology
Dirty war comes from the image of a dirty fight, not a war fought openly, where soldiers or police use 'secret' or 'unfair' methods. That's why dirty war means a campaign of hidden kidnappings, torture, and killings against civilians.