The U.S. needs more than just a military response to the violence of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. That’s the message from Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, who’s issued a call for new principles in U.S. foreign policy.
Last week, President Obama caused a storm when he said that he didn’t have a complete strategy for defeating ISIS, because it required a commitment on the part of Iraq.
Speaking on WNPR’s Where We Live, Murphy said the U.S. needs to pay attention to more than just the immediate military challenge.
"Don’t go into these conflicts unless you understand how you are going to address the underlying political and economic weaknesses that give rise to the instability in the first place," he said. "And that’s why I think it’s so crazy to propose sending troops, American troops, back into Iraq. Yes, if we put 100,000 troops into Iraq for whatever time that our troops are there, we will probably keep ISIS at bay, but we will make the situation worse in the long run, not better."
Murphy has joined with two other Senatorsto author an op-ed in Foreign Affairs magazine to outline eight principles for a progressive foreign policy. They include recommitting to foreign aid, working more closely with overseas allies and setting out clear exit strategies for military engagements.
