unfairness and dishonesty appear. Thus, the tone of manipulator is rather negative. Another word closely related to master is conqueror. The lexical meaning of
conqueror is a person who takes control or possession of a group of people by force. This means that conqueror has the semantic property force while master does not.
Bashar al-Assad used this euphemistic expression when addressing the Free Syrian Army and their masters A4. Although it is true that Free Syrian Army FSA
is under the control of many organizations and even countries, what happened in Syria is far more than that. Since its formation in July 2011, FSA has been in constant
contact with Sunni extremist groups such as Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham. These organizations have been helping the FSA to fight against Assad’s forces yet
simultaneously recruiting FSA’s soldiers into their own. They provide trainings and military assistance as well as arming FSA but eventually they manipulate FSA’s
soldiers to leave FSA and join their fronts instead. The FSA depends on these organizations for support thus it cannot disassociate itself from these extremist
groups. Since al-Nusra and al-Sham are militarily stronger, they use threat and force to make sure that FSA is obedient to their orders. Until present time, these
organizations are controlling FSA’s military strategies, taking a superior stance against the FSA while having a hidden interest to pursue. Therefore, expressions like
manipulator or conqueror fit more to the reality compared to master. The table below shows the semantic properties of master, manipulator, and conqueror.
master manipulator
conqueror control over others
+ +
+ dishonesty
- +
± unfairness
- +
± force
- ±
+ Table 5. Semantic properties of master, manipulator, and conqueror
5. Orchestrator
The expression orchestrator means a person who arranges something carefully so as to achieve a wanted result. In the speech transcript, Assad used this
expression to describe those threatening his sovereignty and rights as a Syrian legitimate ruler A4. Compared to plotter, someone who makes a secret plan to do
something wrong or harmful, the expression orchestrator lacks the semantic property wrongful act. Compared to conspirator which lexically means someone who plans
secretly with other people to do something bad or against someones wishes – orchestrator does not have the semantic property against others’ wishes.
Orchestrator implies that the person is arranging something but it does not necessarily have to be something wrong and the person with whom he is arranging it
will most likely agree with him. The euphemistic expression orchestrator, therefore, is vague in terms of meaning.
In reality, however, Assad’s oppositions are very determined to topple his regime down that they are willing and capable to do everything they can to achieve
such result. The FSA, for instance, has been brutally fighting Assad’s army to the
extent of violating war crime. They do not hesitate to recruit child soldier, use human shields, rape many women and even mutilated the bodies of Assad’s loyalists to
spread fear. Those wrongful acts are better portrayed in plotter and conspirator compared
to the euphemistic expression orchestrator which semantically does not include wrongful act. The third semantic property compared is the fact that the action is
against other people’s wishes. In orchestrator, the sense is that other parties will most likely accept the arrangement. However, in plotter, since it means planning
something wrong or harmful, there is strong possibility that the arrangement or plan is against other people’s wishes or ideas. While in conspirator, it is explicitly
described that the arrangement or plan is against other people’s wishes. The wrongful actions conducted by the FSA are clearly against many parties’ wishes. Human
Rights Watch and Amnesty International have sent them an open letter regarding their violation of the International Humanitarian Law. Their misconducts, obviously,
are also against Bashar al-Assad’s interests. Therefore, the expressions plotter or conspirator better fit the situation in Syria compared to orchestrator. The table below
shows the semantic properties of orchestrator, plotter, and conspirator. orchestrator
plotter conspirator
arranging something +
+ +
wrongful act -
+ +
against others’ wishes - ±
+ Table 6. Semantic properties of orchestrator, plotter, and conspirator
