Great Britain, America 'Won't Be Cowed' By Islamic State
President Barack Obama and Great Britain's Prime Minister James Cameron presented a unified front against the Islamic State terrorist group on Thursday, saying in a speech that they will not take orders from the Islamic extremists.
Ahead of the NATO summit in Wales on Thursday, Obama and Cameron published a joint article in the Times of London saying the fear tactics of Islamic State militants will have no effect on their foreign policy decisions.
"If terrorists think we will weaken in the face of their threats they could not be more wrong," the leaders wrote in their joint article. "Countries like Britain and America will not be cowed by barbaric killers. We will be more forthright in the defence of our values, not least because a world of greater freedom is a fundamental part of how we keep our own people safe."
The joint statement released by Cameron and Obama comes after the Islamic State released another threatening video showing the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff. Earlier, they had released a video showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley, and have threatened to shed more American blood if U.S. airstrikes do not stop in Iraq.
In their article, Cameron and Obama also addressed the ongoing crisis in Ukraine between government forces and separatist rebels. The leaders wrote that they support Ukraine in its effort to separate itself from Russia and become its own independent country.
"With Russia trying to force a sovereign state to abandon its right to democracy and determining the course of its future at the barrel of a gun, we should support Ukraine's right to determine its own democratic future and continue our efforts to enhance Ukrainian capabilities."
