A less palatable but more accurate name is World War IV. The Cold War was World War III, which reminds us that not all global conflicts entail the movement of multimillion-man armies, or conventional front lines on a map. The analogy with the Cold War does, however, suggest some key features of that conflict: that it is, in fact, global; that it will involve a mixture of violent and nonviolent efforts; that it will require mobilization of skill, expertise and resources, if not of vast numbers of soldiers; that it may go on for a long time; and that it has ideological roots.
ELIOT A. COHEN, 20 November 2001
Americans should not expect one battle but a lengthy campaign, unlike any we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes visible on TV, and covert operations, secret even in success.
PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, 20 September 2001
It is a mean, nasty, dangerous, dirty business out there. We also have to work the dark side, if you will. We have to spend time in the shadows.
VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY, 17 September 2001