Could it be that “pledge” is becoming to “promise” what “issue” has long been to “problem” – a semantic fudge? People in positions of responsibility are forever “pledging” to do something: reduce the deficit, send aid to Afghanistan, bring back ethics into public life, etc. Not to mention the American Republican Party’s “Pledge to America”. All Member-States of the EU have pledged to drastically reduce their budget deficits and investors, ratings agencies and the IMF have pledged in turn to (pretend to) believe them.
In theory, “pledge” (a solemn oath) is a stronger word than “promise”, but in practice failing to keep a pledge is less damning than breaking a promise. I think this is because a promise binds a person whereas a pledge is typically made by an authority, party or institution. Watch out if you happen to hear or read: "we solemnly pledge"!
But just as to promise is better than to pledge, to pledge is better than the worst of them all – to COMMIT!
PS. I note that "challenge" has joined "problem" and "issue" as a euphemism for mistakes or generally being caught out: "We have had 'challenges' with privacy", says Facebook.
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