A handful of bipartisan members of the US House of Representatives, in a short Tuesday afternoon session preceding the State of the Union speech, passed by voice vote a resolution (H.Res. 37) using the killings in Paris on January 7-9 to justify war. In particular, the resolution reaffirms the US government’s commitment to fighting the Global War on Terror, praises France for its foreign interventions in the Middle East and Africa, and calls on the governments of all nations “to join a global effort to combat violent extremist ideologies and terrorist groups.”
This is the first House vote following through on House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s (R-CA) desire, expressed the day of the killings at the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, to use the killings to justify the US recommitting to fighting wars around the world.
The resolution’s “resolved” clauses regarding foreign intervention follow:
Resolved, That the House of Representatives—
….
(5) appreciates and supports France’s continuing efforts to combat terrorism and promote stability throughout the Middle East and West and North Africa;(6) appreciates France’s contributions to the multilateral effort to destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant;
(7) recognizes the growing threat posed by radical Islamist terrorist groups worldwide and reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the multilateral, global fight against such violent extremists;
(8) calls upon all nations to join a global effort to combat violent extremist ideologies and terrorist groups; …
Read the complete resolution here.
