In a speech at Stanford University on March 23, 2016, Hillary Clinton addressed the Brussels bombing and explained what she would do, as president, to eliminate ISIS and any threat it poses. 

Her plan for defeating the terrorist organization has three main parts.

First, eliminate the Islamic State’s stronghold in the Middle East. Second, destroy the allies helping militants carry out attacks, including using the Internet to combat the organizations strong online presence. Third, be aware and learn to prevent attacks before they even happen.

With Clinton’s approach, we would hit ISIS where it’s centralized. The group governs the Middle East with its guns and violence. Iraq and Afghanistan are where ISIS flourishes. In those areas, it has an abundance of fighters, weapons and domination. After you destroy that, it will be exposed and vulnerable and the entire operation will begin to crumble.

Then we would cut off their allies, leaving them stranded in the Middle East and beyond. By dismantling its network of resources, ISIS will have nothing left. Its home base will be gone and so will its external connections. With her plan, Clinton would attack them physically and psychologically, which is exactly what ISIS does. ISIS uses the Internet to promote its message and brainwash people from all over the world. Combatting its online voice is just as crucial as taking away its weapons.

With each devastating attack, we are learning a little more about how to prevent future ones. What we’ve learned from Brussels is that airports need even tighter security. Clinton emphasizes fluidity, which I think is what will make her plan a success. We need to respond to terror by adjusting to it.

Clinton also emphasizes teamwork. She said in her Stanford speech that we must unite with our European allies if we want to stop the terrorism once and for all. ISIS is seemingly everywhere. Nations fighting the terrorist group and its limitless network need to unite and be everywhere as well.

Unlike Trump, Clinton doesn’t want to build a wall to keep militants out. Building a wall won’t make ISIS disappear, and chances are, it would find a way to get through that wall anyways. Clinton wants to be proactive and attack the group at its core. Her philosophy will be more effective because rather than hiding behind a wall of defense, she wants to be on the offensive, actively eliminating the threats we face.

I’ve always considered myself a peaceful person, but ISIS leaders have their followers brainwashed beyond saving. That’s heartbreaking, but too many innocent people have died. I believe the only way to prevent attacks like those in Brussels, Paris and San Bernardino is to do what Clinton proposes and take out every last one of those militants.

“We can’t contain ISIS,” Clinton said. “We must defeat ISIS.”

Samantha Karam is a opinion reporter for The Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].