It is simply nonsensical to call the current situation - tragic and utterly horrific though it is - a war. Redefining the English language to suit one's political agenda is, and always has been, an act of propaganda.

Helen . . In one sense I agree with your comments about the last verse of Masters of War . . For a long while I felt uncomfortable about them, despite their power. However if you see the "war figure" in the song as alegorical rather than human it's entirely appropriate to:

Hope that you die,
And hope you die soon.

Viewed in that way, the lines:
And I'll stand o'er your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead.

also take on a different, altogether more positive meaning. Who's to say what Dylan actually intended?

By the way, I'd strongly recommend Martin Simpson's performance of this song . . certainly the best I've heard.

G.