At a House hearing regarding security failures in Benghazi, Rep. Dennis Kucinnich (D-OH) on Wednesday railed against U.S. military intervention in Libya and around the world.

“The security threats in Libya, including the unchecked extremist groups who are armed to the teeth, exist because our nation spurred on a civil war, destroying the security and stability of Libya. While no one defends the former Libyan leader, Muammar al-Gaddafi, Libya was not in a meltdown before the war,” he said.

ADVERTISEMENT

The U.S. consulate in Benghazi was attacked on September 11 by heavily-armed militants, killing Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. During the hearing, former regional security officer Eric Nordstrom said the “ferocity and intensity” of the attack was unprecedented in Libya.

Republicans have claimed the U.S. Department of State contributed to the disaster by failing to provide the consulate with adequate security on the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“It is easy to blame someone else — like a civil servant at the State Department,” Kucinich said. “We all know the game. It is harder to acknowledge that decades of American foreign policy have directly contributed to regional instability and to the rise of armed militias around the world.”

“It is even harder to acknowledge Congress’ role in the failure to stop the war in Libya, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the war in Pakistan, the war in Yemen, the war in Somalia and who knows where else. It is harder to recognize Congress’ role in the failure to stop the drone attacks that are still killing innocent civilians and strengthening radical elements abroad. We want to stop the attacks on embassies? Let’s stop trying to overthrow governments.”

Watch video, uploaded to YouTube by Congressman Kucinich, below: