Obama chairs U.N. Security Council, gains approval of resolution to curb terrorist travel and recruitment

Obama chairs U.N. Security Council, gains approval of resolution to curb terrorist travel and recruitment
(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

On Wednesday, President Obama personally chaired a rare high-level meeting of the United Nations Security Council dedicated to the threat of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other terrorist organizations. The council voted, 15 to 0, to approve a binding U.S.-proposed resolution compelling states to try to block their citizens and foreigners from going to fight with terrorist militias, specifically mentioning ISIS, the al-Nusra faction, and "other groups associated with al Qaeda."

"The tactic of terrorism is not new," Obama told the council. "What brings us together today, what is new, is the unprecedented flow of fighters in recent years to and from conflict zones." And joint action is necessary to tackle this risk, he added, because "if there was ever a challenge in our interconnected world that cannot be met by one nation alone, it is this." Foreign terrorist fighter prolong and escalate armed conflicts, and threaten their countries of origins if they return home, the resolution says.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.