State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf raised eyebrows Monday when suggested that the best way for America to combat ISIS was through addressing its root causes like poverty and joblessness—or, as Fox News described it: "What the West really needs to take on ISIS is...a jobs program."
But, according to homeland security expert Juliette Kayyem, that's exactly the the line the State Department should be taking.
"She's absolutely right," Kayyem said.
"You can look at the ISIS threat and say: one tool is obviously to kill them. But you also have to look at the pipeline," she said. "The pipeline is the problem. It's the thousands of men joining ISIS each week."
To combat the forces that drive disaffected young men to join ISIS, she said, the U.S. should be implementing foreign policies that support local economies, law enforcement and intelligence efforts, and counterterrorism efforts, including education.
"There is an issue we can deal with military efforts, and a much larger problem that is going ot be solved with all sorts of other arsenals in our foreign affairs and national security tools," she said.
To hear more from Juliette Kayyem, tune in to Boston Public Radio above.
