Word: downplay
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...what is being discussed at Harvard? What is dominating the United Nations? What has become the most important issue in the Middle East today? A tragic riot in Jerusalem. While HIPAC recognizes and in no way wants to downplay the significance of the October 8 riot, we urge our fellow students not to forget the larger, far more precarious situation in the region...
Next day came reports that Doe died while being interrogated on the whereabouts of millions of dollars of state funds that had disappeared during his 10 years in power. In an effort to downplay Johnson's reputation as a ruthless rebel, his official spokesman, Marcus Dahn, attributed Doe's death to loss of blood and denied that the President had been intentionally murdered. "As a matter of fact, Doe's death is a regret," Dahn said, "because we have maintained that we would not use the same brutal means by which the man ruled the country...
...Americans. Their bases are located away from cities and towns, and when they must venture into settlements, they are under orders to wear civilian clothing and to go unarmed when possible. Violations of this rule have evoked complaints from the Saudis, though both sides are eager to downplay such frictions...
Even so, Dinkins' remark was a significant shift from his earlier pronouncements. At times the mayor has attempted to downplay the crime wave as a public relations problem: "This administration is doing all it can to win back our streets. Some of it has been to address the image of the city. People need to feel secure, and ((a bad image)) adversely impacts business and tourism." He has also portrayed the outbreak as a local manifestation of a national crisis beyond his control: "If the problems of drugs and crime were only in New York, then you could ask, What...
...would the hardship of a prolonged confrontation be confined to Iraq. Although Bush, much like Lyndon Johnson during Vietnam, has sought to downplay the domestic costs of Desert Shield, he will not be able to do so for long. The fear of war alone was enough to push financial markets in the U.S., Europe and Japan into a deep slide, a mere foretaste of the worldwide economic disaster that would occur if an all-out war erupted, involving not just the U.S. and Iraq but Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries -- perhaps including Israel -- as well. The call...