Cultural awareness and the careful use of language and rhetoric have
             enhanced the global war on terrorism. Language is a powerful tool that can
             either act to demonize the enemy or to increase the understanding of the
             enemy through cultural awareness. Cultural awareness itself is a powerful
             tool in the arsenal against terrorism, as it allows for the better
             understanding of the enemy, thus enhancing the effort on the global war on
             Perhaps one of the most important and inherent dangers in the war on
             terror is the prospect of demonizing and oversimplifying the enemy. Dan
             Rather, famous anchor and managing editor of CBS News, illustrates the
             danger of such an approach. In answer to David Letterman's question, "Why
             do these people hate us'", Rather responded, "They're evil" (cited in
             Corliss, 2001). In Rather's defense, the interview took place shortly
             after the tragedy of September 11th, and he was likely overwhelmed with
             shock and grief. Nonetheless, his answer does illustrate both the power of
             language and a lack of cultural awareness on our understanding about the
             war on terror. Traditional military terms like Charlie (describing the
             Viet Cong), (Wikipedia) are also examples of the use of language to
             distance us from the enemy as individuals.
             Rather's sort of rhetoric is dangerous, as it serves to dehumanize
             our enemies and portray them as completely evil and ourselves as entirely
             righteous. Notes Fedler (2001), "When we totally dehumanize our enemies,
             the terrorists, once again, have won." In doing this, those fighting the
             war on terrorism are "drawn into the simplistic dualism of the terrorists
             who see themselves as totally righteous and all Americans as totally evil"
             Crucial in combating such dualism is the concept of cultural
             awareness. Further, cultural awareness gives America the benefit of a
             better understanding of the motivations and subtext
             ...