Obama: Military Force Alone Cannot Stop Violent Extremism
President Barack Obama took to the pages of The Los Angeles Times on Tuesday to argue that the U.S. must do more to counter violent extremism around the globe, and that doing so will require more than its military can do.
"We know that military force alone cannot solve this problem. Nor can we simply take out terrorists who kill innocent civilians. We also have to confront the violent extremists the propagandists, recruiters and enablers who may not directly engage in terrorist acts themselves, but who radicalize, recruit and incite others to do so," Obama wrote.
He added: "We know from experience that the best way to protect people, especially young people, from falling into the grip of violent extremists is the support of their family, friends, teachers and faith leaders."
The president's op-ed follows a summit on countering extremism held at the White House on Tuesday, which brought together community leaders and law enforcement officers in a discussion to help "empower communities to protect their loved ones from extremist ideologies." It also comes at a time when more Americans disapprove of how Obama has been handling the fight against the Islamic State, at 57 percent, according to a new CNN poll.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/18/barack-obama-violent-extremism_n_6704756.html?utm_hp_ref=politics