I’m getting close to finishing Robert Fisk’s amazing book ‘The Great War for Civilisation : The Conquest of the Middle East‘. One of the many things I have learned from reading the book is the way in which words have been used and misused throughout the conflicts. Unfortunately, the significant examples of such misuse relate to negotioations to encourage peace. In many cases words were consciously chosen for their ambiguity so there would be room for further explotation once agreements had been made. I had never thought of words being used as weapons to continue a conflict in this way. This highlights the need for experience in dialogue for individuals to enable them to see how the words involved in discussions can have a significant impact upon real life.