---
title: "Civil War: What’s in a Name?"
description: "IrA mostly insiders-only debate about whether Iraq is in a state of civil war broke out into the open last week when two major news organizations announced that they would henceforth refer to the conflict as a civil war. According to polling in September by the Pew Research Center, much of the public had already […]"
date: "2006-12-06"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2006/12/06/civil-war-whats-in-a-name-2/"
categories:
  - "War & International Conflict"
---

# Civil War: What’s in a Name?

IrA mostly insiders-only debate about whether Iraq is in a state of civil war broke out into the open last week when two major news organizations announced that they would henceforth refer to the conflict as a civil war. According to polling in September by the Pew Research Center, much of the public had already reached that conclusion. By a 50%-to-37% margin, more Americans said the current violence in Iraq was mostly a civil war than said it was mostly an insurgency aimed at the United States and its allies.

[Read the full analysis at pewresearch.org](https://www.pewresearch.org/2006/12/06/civil-war-whats-in-a-name/)