Applying Critical Metaphor Analysis in Political Discourse Post 9/11

This paper attempts to explain how the political enemy and its actions have already been defined in the political environment. Regarding the metaphorical units involved in the political discourse and statements, this study considers the case of the American war against Afghanistan and Iraq in 2002 and 2003. The use of metaphorical units of the former president of the United States, George W. Bush, former president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein and former leader of Al Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden during the war have been analyzed using Critical Metaphor Analysis (CMA) as a concrete method developed by Charteris-Black (2004). This type of metaphorical unit involves the cognitive process of cultural and religious experiences to generate a specific stereotype of the enemy. That image appears in most religious traditions of the world, aiming to arouse hatred and fear among people. The paper concludes by emphasizing that the considered metaphorical units have created an "abstract" conceptual metaphor that deliberately establishes an analogy between "political enemy" and "religious enemy" using lexical units such as "satán/satan" "diablo/devil" and "infiel /infidel ", among others