Kerry, at Davos, Urges Multipronged Fight Against Violent Extremism
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Version 0 of 1. DAVOS, Switzerland — Secretary of State John Kerry on Friday called for an ambitious campaign to combat the root causes of violent extremism, which he said represented one of the most grave threats to international order since the end of World War II. In a lengthy address to a gathering here of world leaders and business executives, Mr. Kerry said that combating the Islamic State should be a top priority because the militant group was strong enough to seize and control territory in Syria and Iraq and posed a danger to the Middle East region. But Mr. Kerry also urged the international community to mount efforts to reduce unemployment and carry out other programs that could dissuade young people from joining extremist causes, even if such initiatives were costly. “When the United States and our allies made stopping fascism a priority, we found the $3.6 trillion to pay for it,” Mr. Kerry said, recalling the push to rebuild Europe’s economy after World War II. “Leader after leader in country after country has said that fighting the scourge of violent extremism is a global priority. Well, let’s prove it.” During his address, Mr. Kerry announced that he would fly to Nigeria, which has been racked by attacks by Boko Haram, the extremist group whose fighters have killed thousands of people in northern Nigeria. Mr. Kerry plans to meet Sunday in Lagos with President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, who is running for re-election, and also with his challenger, Muhammadu Buhari, a retired major general. The purpose of the trip, a State Department spokeswoman said, is to emphasize that the mid-February elections in Nigeria should be “peaceful, nonviolent and credible.” Boko Haram’s attacks received enormous attention after they kidnapped nearly 300 schoolgirls in April. But the initial cooperation between the United States and Nigerian forces has diminished in the face of mutual mistrust. Mr. Kerry said last week that he was planning a “special initiative” to respond to the attacks by Boko Haram, which he called a “crime against humanity.” But Mr. Kerry has provided no details on that initiative, and it was not clear whether he intended to use his visit to Nigeria to pursue it. Mr. Kerry was not the only speaker on Friday to take up the threat posed by extremist groups. President François Hollande of France appealed to the business community to identify “illegal content” on the Internet and “make it inaccessible.” “Don’t let a beast roam today when it could attack you tomorrow,” said Mr. Hollande, who also sought money and support for the struggle against climate change. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi of Iraq asserted that his nation was at the forefront in battling Islamic State militants and appealed for more international support. Mr. Kerry’s address, however, was the most impassioned, though short on specifics. While he urged that more resources be committed for a long-term effort to fight extremists, he did not say where the money should come from or how it should be spent. Instead, he pointed to a security summit that President Obama plans to host on Feb. 18 “to exchange ideas and galvanize support.” Responding to critics who have urged the United States to specifically denounce Islamic extremism, Mr. Kerry said that leaders should be careful with their terminology and should avoid blaming the Muslim faith for attacks carried out by terrorists. “We will certainly not defeat our foes by vilifying potential partners,” Mr. Kerry said. “We may very well fuel the very fires that we want to put out.” Though Mr. Kerry urged the international community to prepare for a long-term struggle against what he called “criminal anarchy,” he insisted that the American-backed effort to confront the Islamic State has already begun to show results. “Today in much of Iraq, Daesh’s momentum has dissipated,” said Mr. Kerry, using an alternative name for the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIS and ISIL. Ayad Allawi, a former Iraqi prime minister who serves as vice president in the current government, asserted in a separate appearance here that many of the claims of progress against the Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria were exaggerated. “I have not seen a coherent strategy yet,” Mr. Allawi said. “What we see is scattered efforts.” |