“I've been hitting, hammering on that in committee meetings and Armed Services and Intelligence the past year and a half. We need a general strategy beyond just killing them and beyond treating them as military targets. We need to talk about why is this happening…” – Sen. Angus King on CNN’s New Day, January 9, 2015. 

BRUNSWICK, ME – U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence who has called for the U.S. to examine the underlying causes of terrorism, released the following statement today on the White House Summit on Countering Violent Extremism:

“For too long, the United States’ strategy to fight terrorism focused primarily on military strikes. But if we really want to reduce violent extremism around the world, then we must also do a better job of identifying the fundamental causes behind it and developing a sustainable and encompassing strategy to prevent it,” Senator King said. “One of the biggest dangers today is that too many young people across the world who feel disenfranchised or who have lost hope in their future are falling for the false promises of violent extremism. Today’s summit at the White House is an encouraging step in addressing this problem, but I hope the progress that will be made today will evolve into a more comprehensive strategy to defeat extremism in concert with our allies and partners abroad.”

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