What is the difference between "sectarian violence" and "civil war"?

[kentuck]

We hear all the killing in Iraq now being called sectarian violence. We take that to mean one sect or group against another. How is that different from civil war? Simply calling a horse's tail a leg doesn't make it so, as Abe Lincoln once noted.

[dorkulon]

1. The Chess Set.

http://www.buffalobeast.com/94/chess.htm

[annabanana]

2. heh - cute..

The difference is just in degree... and perception (or desired perspective)

[leftchick]

3. marketing

Karl found civil war does not fly well with the US population.

[hobbit709]

4. Semantics

You can have a "civil war" without religious reasons-though it's rare when religion is NOT a component.
Even civil wars where the basic issue is race or ethnicity have conflicting religions involved somehow.

[fujiyama]

5. Sectarian violence

generally refers to clashes within a religion or among religions in a country.

In the case of a civil war there is more of a prolonged conflict.

Well, in this case we have a prolonged sectarian conflict - otherwise we can just call it a sectarian civil war, which at this point would be accurate. Those claiming this isn't a civil war (basically those that deny reality), might claim that the clashes are too small a scale to be considered a civil war. But the clashes are widespread and constant...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. answer: about $1.98 plus tax.

and since that amount doesn't even get you a gallon of gas, the real answer is not much.

sectarian violence IS civil war. Only in the warped, dark, dank, twisted and booby-trapped recesses of the evil, rotting, fetid, foul matter known as Rumsfeld's brain does the difference make any sense.

[BiggJawn]

7. 9 letters and straining it through the Rumsferatu. n/t