Sanders: We must fight ‘corruption’ and ‘authoritarianism’ that give rise to terrorism

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (I) called on the U.S. to fight corruption, authoritarianism, and other conditions that he blamed for spreading terrorism around the world on Tuesday.

In a pair of tweets recognizing the anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, Sanders argued that merely combating terrorist groups after they emerge is not enough to deter future attacks.

{mosads}”We must not only work to end terrorist violence,” the senator argued. “We must fight the conditions that give rise to it: corruption, authoritarianism, inequality and ethnic and religious hatred.”

“Today we remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost on 9/11 and many brave people who risked their lives that day to help,” the senator wrote in a tweet earlier Tuesday morning.

“Those acts of selfless sacrifice speak to the very best of us as a nation — we are a people prepared to come together and work for the good of our fellow Americans.”

We must not only work to end terrorist violence. We must fight the conditions that give rise to it: corruption, authoritarianism, inequality and ethnic and religious hatred.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 11, 2018

Today we remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost on 9/11 and many brave people who risked their lives that day to help. Those acts of selfless sacrifice speak to the very best of us as a nation—we are a people prepared to come together and work for the good of our fellow Americans.

— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 11, 2018

Sanders has long argued that the U.S. does not do enough to combat the economic and physical conditions around the world that he says exacerbate regional conflicts. In 2015, he argued during his presidential run that climate change would soon become a leading factor in terrorist and armed conflicts.

The Vermont progressive has also taken issue with the Trump administration’s foreign policy, particularly the president’s travel ban, which he has blamed for fomenting hatred against the U.S. by discriminating against Muslims.

“Trump’s anti-Muslim order plays into the hands of fanatics wishing to harm America. Love and compassion trump hatred and intolerance,” Sanders tweeted last year.

“Demagogues survive by fostering hatred. We won’t allow anyone to divide us up by our religion, country of origin or the color of our skin,” he added.