Working Together to Fight Extremism

By William E. Todd, U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia

This week I received a question from Boramey in Siem Reap, who writes, “I have been reading news reports about the murder of U.S. and British hostages in the Middle East.  What is the United States government doing to end the violence?”

The developing situation in the Middle East may seem far away from here, but in fact it is of great importance to all nations of the world, including Cambodia.  Every country has a role to play right now in countering violent extremism.

The militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (known as ISIL, or ISIS)has been carrying out a campaign of violence, repression, and destruction against all who disagree with their extremist views.  The recent beheadings of journalists and aid workers have shocked the world, but it is only a part of the picture. ISIL has directly caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon, and they arealso committing other human rights violations including enslaving women and forcing them into marriage.ISIL claims to be fighting on behalf of Islam, but its hateful ideology has no place in any religion.  As President Barack Obama said, “ISIL is not ‘Islamic.’  No religion condones the killing of innocents.”

On Thursday, Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen strongly condemned ISIL’s brutality and said that although Cambodia cannot send forces to the Middle East, “mentally and politically we support all activities that destroy terrorist groups” including ISIL.We appreciate the Prime Minister’s words of support and his efforts to call attention to this urgent issue.

As Samdech Prime Minister noted, terrorists are looking to use other countries as a safe haven or to launder money.  Foreign fighters are already traveling to the Middle East to join ISIL, and some will surely look to bring those deadly skills to other parts of the world, including Southeast Asia.ISIL is already looking to expand its reach, as we saw on Friday with news reports that the Australian government foiled an alleged plot by ISIL militants to attack random members of the public.  No place in the world is immune to the risk.

What is happening in Iraq and Syria isalso an urgent humanitarian crisis.  During my time in Cambodia, I have heard many firsthand stories of what can happen when a small group of violent extremists takes hold of territory and commits unspeakable acts of violence against its own people.Our common humanity urges us to take action to protect the innocent victims of ISIL.

The United States is leading efforts to build a global coalition to degrade and destroy ISIL, as President Obama announced in a speech on September 10.This is not something that any nation can do alone – it requires a strong coalition of regional and international partners willing to commit military, law enforcement, intelligence, economic, and diplomatic tools.  It also means building a coalition of those who would stand up to ISIL’s hateful ideology to counter the violent narrative that ISIL is sending to the world through social media.

This week, an international conference was convened in Paris to come up with a plan of action.To date, over 40 countries have joined this coalition and are contributing in various ways, including supporting humanitarian assistance operations, allowing the use of air space and military facilities, and providing financial support to relief organizations to assist those who have been displaced by the fighting.  The United States will further mobilize the international community around this effort during the United Nations General Assembly in late September.

Last month, the United States launched targeted operations in Iraq at the request of the Iraqi government.  The airstrikes have pushed back ISIL forces and helped the Iraqis to regain control over strategic cities and critical infrastructure like the Mosul Dam.In conjunction withour international partners, the U.S. has provided arms and assistance to Iraqi security forces to support their fight against ISIL.  These airstrikes and resupply efforts have enabled Iraqi forces to reclaim key territory and save thousands of innocent lives.

Military operations alone will not defeat this enemy.  That is why the United States is working with our partners to cut off the illicit funding streams that come to ISIL, to stop the flow of weapons and foreign fighters into and out of the Middle East, and to counter ISIL’s extremist ideology by repudiating its gross distortion of Islam.In addition, the coalition will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians who have been displaced by ISIL.

In an op-ed on August 29, Secretary of State John Kerry wrote, “no decent country can support the horrors perpetrated by ISIL, and no civilized country should shirk its responsibility to help stamp out [these extremists].”It may seem that nothing can be done from here, but that couldn’t be further from the truth:  every little bit helps.  For instance, the Twitter campaign #ISISMediaBlackout urges people not to post or share the videos that ISIL is sending out and instead to share photos of the victims as the families want to remember them.  The idea is that doing so takes away ISIL’s power to shock and terrify while focusing attention where it belongs – on the victims and their families.

“Extremists are defeated only when responsible nations and their peoples unite to oppose them,” Secretary Kerry wrote. I thank Samdech Prime Minister Hun Sen for his strong words of support,and I hope that all Cambodians will join with the United States and other nations around the world to condemn this horrific violence and to call for peace, respect, and tolerance.

Thank you for reading my column this week.  If you have questions for future columns please email me at AskAMBToddPP@state.gov.

William E. Todd is U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia

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