Speech on Radicalization, Islamic Extremism, and the Failure of State Multiculturalism

This study guide will help you analyze David Cameron’s Speech on Radicalization, Islamic Extremism, and the Failure of State Multiculturalism. In addition to help with your analysis, you can find a summary of the text and ideas for putting it into perspective.

David Cameron, born in 1966, is a prominent UK politician who held the position of Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016 and led the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. Under his leadership, the UK took part in the First Libyan Civil War and authorized airstrikes against ISIS. Cameron's administration also enforced a more rigorous immigration policy. In 2011, at the Munich Security Conference, he delivered a controversial speech on Radicalization, Islamic Extremism, and the Failure of State Multiculturalism, which faced significant backlash for casting multiculturalism in a negative light

Excerpt from the study guide:

Tricolon and Parallelism

Cameron uses tricolon when he talks about society’s efforts to fight terrorism: “We will need stamina, patience and endurance…”. On the one hand, these words coming in quick succession help Cameron round up his idea and give his speech a sense of wholeness. On the other hand, the audience finds it easier to understand and remember Cameron’s idea more effectively.

Towards the end of the speech, Cameron relies on parallelism to emphasize his ideas: “This ideology crosses not just our continent but all continents”. Here, parallelism ...