Hearts, minds key to Islamic State defeat: US envoy John Berry

Winning the “hearts and minds” of the next generation will be critical to defeating Islamic State, says US ambassador John Berry.

Winning the “hearts and minds” of the next generation will be critical to defeating Islamic State, according to the US ambassador to Australia John Berry.

John Berry, in a speech to mark Independence Day, flagged the potential for the US to increase its military presence in Iraq and Syria, saying the current troop commitment was “not set in stone”.

Noting that the US and Australia were leading the fight against IS, he hailed Australia’s efforts to counter radicalisation in the community.

“At the end of the day we will not win unless we can convince the hearts of minds of the next generation to choose a better path,” he said.

“The path that we are celebrating today is one good choice that I would encourage them to think about: freedom, liberty, family, safety, security, and a growing economy, a growing quality of life — those are the values that the United States and Australia bring to the world.”

Mr Berry said the 1776 declaration of independence had given birth to the idea that “all people are created equal, and that every individual is endowed with God-given freedom and rights.”

The American “tree of liberty” had endured for 239 years and was being continually improved, with rights now extended to women, minorities, all races and religions and, most recently, to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

“It has withstood the fearsome winds and storms of secession, fascism and communism,” he said. “There will always be those who will seek to undermine or, God forbid, topple this living monument and we pray that they will always be confounded and defeated by those of us willing to defend the freedom and liberty it represents.”

Ambassador Berry, who is gay and lives with his spouse at the embassy in Canberra, said he was confident that Australia would “wrestle” with the issue of gay marriage and come to a conclusion that was for the “best of Australia”.

Australia had led the way on gay rights for many years, he said.