Hillary Clinton is calling for Silicon Valley to help to thwart “the most effective recruiter in the world,” but no, she’s not talking about Donald Trump.
At the Saban Forum held by the Brookings Institution in Washington, Clinton challenged the creators of popular online social media such as Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube, urging “the great disruptors [to work at] disrupting ISIS.”
At a gathering primarily concerned with Israel’s security, Hillary threw down some strong but inherently vague rhetoric in regards to her position on Iran. The Democratic front runner claimed that she would take “harsh” steps against the nation should it attempt to violate the nuclear limitations agreed to just this past July.
How harsh? Before being corrected by Justice Stephen G. Breyer of the Supreme Court, Clinton suggested that she would use “the nuclear option,” though she quickly backpedaled from the statement when the Justice in the audience noted it. Calling him a “careful listener,” she quickly amended it to a more generalized “military option.” It makes less grammatical sense, but then, it’s also less apocalyptic.
After that, Mrs. Clinton stuck much closer to President Obama’s public stance. She reinforced her agreement that no one on a “no-fly” list be permitted to purchase a firearm, and reiterated her support of the American Muslim community despite the recent actions of extremists. To her, demonizing the Muslim community “is not only counter to our values,” but “plays right into the hands of the terrorists.”
She was just as vague in her proposed solutions to the leaders of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies. She did, however, anticipate the reaction that a blanket policy on removal of divisive content would incur. “You are going to hear all the familiar complaints [regarding] ‘freedom of speech,’” she said. The answer to those complaints was unclear.
Hillary did have some strong words for the Arab allies of the U.S., but to keep with the running theme, they were very nonspecific. In a call for those allies to take control of the fight on their own fronts, she said, “We will do our part, but it is their fight too, and they need to act like it is.”
For an hour-long speech about her approach to these situations, it was very notable in its lack of actual ideas for implementation. We can’t glean much more than that Clinton is against terrorism, in favor of innocent civilians, and wishes that radical groups wouldn’t spend so much time on their smart phones.
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