FARMINGTON — The rise of terrorism and the role of the United States in stopping terrorist threats were among topics discussed by U.S. Sen. Angus King in Farmington Friday.
“American leadership and American diplomacy is crucial in the world today, whether we’d like to accept it or not,” King said during an informal talk on current affairs.
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King, an independent, addressed about 200 students, faculty and members of the public who attended the event Friday afternoon at the University of Maine at Farmington.
The discussion centered on international issues and was hosted by the Maine Chapter of the Fulbright Association and the university, which is host to 15 current and recently retired Fulbright scholars.
The importance of cultural and historical awareness, the growing threat of cybercrime, and the importance of leadership were among takeways King said he’s had since he first went to Washington, D.C., as a former governor with no international experience.
King now serves on the Armed Services and Intelligence committees and said described making foreign policy decisions as one of the “fascinating and terrifying” aspects of his job.
When asked about his job as a senator, King said he has described serving in Congress as “applied history with a minor in communications.”
“There’s so much history involved that Americans aren’t very good at,” he said.
One of the keys to successful foreign relations, said King, is understanding the history and culture of an area. Whether it’s not knowing the difference between Persians and Arabs or not understanding the historical differences between Sunni and Shia branches Islam, King said cultural and historical ignorance can derail attempts at diplomacy.
King said cyberspace is where the next wars will be played out. The highly wired United States is privileged, but is also left more vulnerable to possible cyberterrorism, he said.
This was seen, King said, in the hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment allegedly by the North Korean government. Theater distribution of the Sony movie “The Interview,” which depicted an assassination plot against the North Korean president, Kim Jong-Un, was briefly canceled out of fear of terrorist reprisals.
“Thank God it was a movie studio and not the New York Stock Exchange,” said King.
The state’s junior senator, an independent who caucuses with the Democrats, was in the Middle East with other senators this past week for sessions that included a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s then crown Prince Salman, who assumed the Saudi throne Thursday on the death of Kind Saud.
The trip also included meetings in Qatar and Israel, where the threats posed by Islamists and Iran’s nuclear weapons development are pressing issues.
King said the U.S. needs a more multi-faceted response to the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group, which has been violently taking over parts of Iraq and Syria since this summer.
King said U.S. strategy in the war on terror has to be more than trying to kill all the terrorists, which he compared to chopping off the head of the mythological serpent creature Hydra that grew two more heads for each one that was chopped off.
He said Syria has become breeding ground for terrorists, who are being recruited over social media and Internet publications.
“The real weapons of mass destruction today are unemployed radicalized 22-year-old men,” said King.
In response to these threats, King said American’s cannot respond by demanding the country close its doors and have nothing to do with the challenges in other countries.
He said between having the U.S.’s economy, its large defense structure, it is too intertwined with the rest of the world to consider pulling back on its global role.
“America is the world leader whether we like it or not,” he said. “We do not and will not always have the answer to every problem that arises across the globe, but it is incumbent upon us – it is our responsibility – to work alongside our partners and allies to forge an international community that pursues peace rather than violence.”
Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252
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