Hawkish Republican candidates don’t mince words on radical Islam
While some Republican presidential candidates have been quick to declare a war on radical Islam, there has been little focus on the causes behind its rise.
The terrorist attacks in Paris have unleashed a torrent of anti-Islamist rhetoric in the United States that casually dismisses the well-documented grievances that attract would-be jihadi fighters.
While the Democratic presidential candidates all refused to say the United States was at war with "radical Islam" during their Nov. 14 debate, the Republicans had no such qualms. Sensing a political opening, some went further and warned of a "civilizational" struggle — rhetoric that some experts caution plays right into the Islamic State playbook.
