Shock and Awe
blitz·krieg ( P ) Pronunciation Key (bltskrg)
n.
A swift, sudden military offensive, usually by combined air and mobile land forces.
[German : Blitz, lightning (from Middle High German blitze, from bliczen, to flash, from Old High German blekkazzen. See bhel-1 in Indo-European Roots) + Krieg, war (from Middle High German kriec, from Old High German krg, stubbornness. See gwer-1 in Indo-European Roots).]
Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
This essay from Common Dreams, which draws some unnerving parallels between pre-Nazi Germany and modern America may seem exploitative on the surface. But the point is clear: wars of agression are always cloaked in the veil of imminent national security.
