DOWNLOAD VIDEO World leaders from 65 nations came together to discuss how to counter extremism at a White House-sponsored summit last week. Violent extremism is one of the greatest threats to world stability, and its existence across international borders means that fighting it is a global effort, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. “Unless we do not address it…this will just destroy the fabrics of our community,” he said. President Obama emphasized the role of democracy in countering the growth of terrorism: “When peaceful democratic change is impossible, it feeds into the terrorist propaganda that violence is the only answer available." Obama also pushed for world leaders to create economic and educational opportunities back home for young people who might otherwise turn to terrorism. Ki-moon stressed preventative measures, saying that countries need to address the root causes. Countries must maintain an effective government and education systems and protect the human rights of marginalized groups, he said. Nasser Judeh, Jordan’s foreign minister, said that Jordan would take a strong lead in counter-terrorism efforts following the recent execution of a Jordanian pilot by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, an Islamic militant group that the UN has deemed a terrorist organization.

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Warm up questions

1. What are human rights?


2. How could education play a part in preventing terrorism?

Critical thinking questions

1. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that countering extremism is a global effort. Why is it important for many countries to be involved?


2. Why would a person turn to violence as a means of solving a problem?


3. President Obama said that the existence of a democratic government is important in preventing extremism. Do you agree with his view? Why or why not?


4. Do you think violent extremism will grow or diminish in the next ten years? Why?