UNDERSEC OF DEFENSE MICHELE FLOURNOY: COIN WIL EXAMINE THE ROOT CAUSES THAT LEAD TO TERROR
Brennan’s views seen behind revamping of counterterror strategy
A senior Pentagon official said last week that the military’s strategy for countering terrorism is being reworked.
A senior Pentagon official said last week that the military’s strategy for countering terrorism is being reworked.
Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, told a meeting of the Center for a New American Security June 10 that the strategy will examine the causes of terrorism.
“We are in the midst of re-thinking and redrafting our counterterrorism strategy,†she said. “And one of the discussions we’re having in that context is what are the root causes of violent extremism and what are the historical conditions that have given rise to this? How do we understand the cycle of radicalization and are there ways that we in working with our allies can enter actually effectively interrupt and eventually reduce that cycle or the numbers of people it’s affecting.â€
The comments reflected what some see as the liberal views of White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan who has said that the Obama administration is avoiding all condemnation of Islamist terrorism and even apologizing for the religious concept of jihad or holy war, the main motivating factor behind radical Islamic terror.
Instead, the administration has adopted the notion that economic deprivation is the cause of terrorism, despite the fact that most violent extremism stems from Islamic radicals.
Comments are closed.
