State Department rep says jobs could be key to eradicating Islamic State
The key to stopping the Islamic State鈥檚 bloody march through Iraq and Syria? Jobs.
That鈥檚 what US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Monday night what America and its allies are doing to end the militant group鈥檚 reign of terror in the region.
鈥淲e鈥檙e killing a lot of them, and we鈥檙e going to keep killing more of them,鈥� Ms. Harf told host Chris Matthews. 鈥淏ut 鈥� we cannot kill our way out of this war. We need, in the longer term 鈥� to go after the root causes that [lead] people to join these groups.鈥�
Those causes, she added, are tied to weak governance and a lack of opportunity for young people, which groups like the Islamic State or ISIS tend to exploit.
Mr. Matthews responded by saying that poverty isn鈥檛 something that anyone can hope to tackle in one lifetime, or even 鈥渋n 50 lifetimes.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 always going to be poor people,鈥� he pointed out. Meanwhile, he cited the recently released video that shows the mass beheading of 21 Egyptian 海角大神s in Libya as the latest sign that ISIS has no intention of slowing its rampage of violence.
The debate between Matthews and Harf reflects a broader debate about the underlying causes of violent extremism and how to counter it. In , Middle East expert outlined two major views on the issue: The first proposes that educational and economic empowerment are the best cure against radicalization and terrorist recruitment.
鈥淪ince poverty and ignorance often provide a breeding ground for radicalism, socioeconomic development appears compelling as an effective antidote,鈥� wrote Mr. Taspinar, a professor at the National War College and an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University鈥檚 School of Advanced International Studies.
There may be some truth to this position.聽 by The Soufan Group, a New York-based security and research group, also found that when sending messages to potential recruits, extremist groups prey on feelings of anger, humiliation, resentment, and lack of purpose.聽
In September, that more than 1,000 volunteers had joined ISIS from Turkey 鈥� a nation where the unemployment rate has for the last year and of the population lived below the poverty line in 2010.
Interviews with recruits revealed that the militants鈥� ideology coupled with the promise of steady pay appealed to Turkey鈥檚 disaffected youths.
鈥淲hen you fight, they offer $150 a day. Then everything else is free,鈥� one former militant told the Times.聽
The other major perspective on violent extremism, Taspinar wrote, rejects the correlation between poverty and terrorism. Those who hold this view note that most terrorists 鈥渁re neither poor nor uneducated,鈥� and so see terrorism purely as a security threat that requires forceful action. 聽
As economist put it in , 鈥淭here is little reason for optimism that a reduction in poverty or increase in educational attainment will lead to a meaningful reduction in the amount of international terrorism.鈥�
While both views have valid points, Taspinar argues that neither strategy alone will be successful. There鈥檚 no 鈥渙ne size fits all鈥� solution, he wrote, because there鈥檚 no single cause or motivation for terrorism that can be pinpointed and eradicated.
His suggestion: Bridge the gap between the two perspectives by promoting policies and strengthening institutions that help crush radicalism.
That was in 2009. , and during her 鈥淗ardball鈥� interview, Harf acknowledged that there's no easy long-term solution to preventing and combating violent extremism.
鈥淏ut,鈥� she added, 鈥渋f we can help countries work at the root causes of this 鈥� what makes a 17-year-old in these countries pick up an AK-47 instead of trying to start a business 鈥� maybe we can try to chip away at this problem.鈥�
