OK, I know that “Levant” refers to a broader area than Iraq and Syria.
My point: if you’re trying to communicate clearly, it usually helps to speak in the jargon of the listeners.
Even, media shills refer to the terrorists as ISIS … and, they even do it to help readers — translating what Obama means when he says “ISIL”.
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To get a bit more technical, Wiki says:
“The usage of the term “Levant” has been relegated to academia in the fields of archeology and literature, but there is a recent attempt to reclaim the notion of the Levant as a category of analysis in political and social sciences.”
Hmm.
An arcane academic usage … being reclaimed by politicos.
But, for what reason?
The Homa Files 