Title :

Linguistic vagueness in UN resolutions: a comparison between Security Council resolutions relating to the Iranian nuclear crisis and the Second Gulf War

Author(s) :

Caliendo, Giuditta [Auteur]
Savoirs, Textes, Langage (STL) - UMR 8163 [STL]
Scotto Di Carlo, Giuseppina [Auteur]

Journal title :

Textus (Studies in Italy)

Pages :

13-38

Publisher :

Tilgher Genova

Publication date :

2015

ISSN :

1824-3967

HAL domain(s) :

Sciences de l'Homme et Société/Linguistique

English abstract : [en]

This paper sets out to investigate patterns of linguistic vagueness in United Nations Security Council resolutions. In particular, the study aims to tease out whether the use of strategic vagueness has contributed to the ...
Show more >This paper sets out to investigate patterns of linguistic vagueness in United Nations Security Council resolutions. In particular, the study aims to tease out whether the use of strategic vagueness has contributed to the breakout of the 2002-2003 Gulf war instead of leading to a diplomatic settlement of the controversies, and whether similar patterns have emerged in resolutions addressing other international political crises. The study presents a comparative analysis between a corpus of UN Security Council resolutions relating to the Second Gulf War and a corpus of resolutions concerning the 2010 Iranian nuclear crisis, focussing on two specific sections of the text type under scrutiny: preambulatory and operative clauses. The analysis shows how vague wording can be used to lead to intentionally biased interpretations of the law, as in the case of the Iraq War when vague formulations enabled the US to justify its military intervention, or to mitigate international tensions, as it is supposedly the case with the Iranian nuclear crisis.Show less >

Language :

Anglais

Popular science :

Oui

Collections :

• Savoirs, Textes, Langage (STL) - UMR 8163

Source :

Harvested from HAL