ABSTRACT
Crusading terminology has received a remarkable renaissance in the 21st century. In particular, against the background of the so-called Islamistic threat, the crusade has been in use quite often as a bellicist topos to legitimise various campaigns in the Near and Middle East with George W. Bush's infamous “crusade on terrorism” probably being the most well-known example. Interestingly, crusading terms also serve as loci communes in multiple other situations, for instance, with regard to the fight against climate change, corruption, and for democracy.
