One of the most controversial aspects of the mandate of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe Velez (2002-2010) was the name change made by his government to the armed conflict in the country for half a century. According to the now former president, in Colombia there has been no armed conflict, but a terrorist threat. This meant, among other things, close the option to armed groups, especially the guerrillas, they were considered political actors, and the rejection of a negotiated political solution to the confrontation .The article analyzes the main arguments of this political and ideological position, and suggests that the issue under study is part of the conceptual dispute to gain control of the language on this armed conflict or what the German philosopher and historian Reinhart Koselleck defined as a struggle for the names.