In his weekly column on Sunday for the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, libertarian icon and former Republican U.S. Congressman Ron Paul outlined his foreign policy strategy in the wake of Friday’s series of deadly terror attacks targeting Paris.

Paul suggested that the U.S. should “focus on trade and friendly relations, stop shipping weapons, abandon ‘regime change’ and other manipulations, respect national sovereignty, and maintain a strong defense at home including protecting the borders from those who may seek to do us harm.”

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Calling on leaders to shift away from policies that led to the rise of ISIS “before it’s too late,” Paul said, “Because the US and its allies are essentially on the same side as ISIS and other groups – seeking the overthrow of Assad – many of the weapons they have sent to the more ‘moderate’ factions also seeking Assad’s ouster have ended up in the hands of radicals. Moderate groups have joined more radical factions over and over, taking their US-provided training and weapons with them. Other moderate groups have been captured or killed, their US-provided weapons also going to the radicals. Thus the more radical factions have become better equipped and better trained, while occasionally being attacked by US or allied planes.”

He added, “Does anyone not believe this is a recipe for the kind of disaster we have now seen in Paris? The French in particular have been very active in arming even the more radical groups in Syria, as they push for more political influence in the region. Why do they still refuse to believe in the concept of blowback?”

Blowback is an intelligence term referring to scenarios in which harmful unintended consequences are projected back on a nation in response to its own covert operations.

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Paul pointed to the Iran nuclear deal, which lifts sanctions on Iran, as a promising approach to reducing tensions in the Middle East and noted that “most presidential candidates compete to thump the table loudest against any deal with Iran” despite the fact that Iran’s active participation in the war on ISIS in Syria has made it a potential target of the terror group.

Paul conceded that “it may not be popular to say [these things] as emotions run high and calls ring out for more bombing in the Middle East.”

Earlier this year, Ben Swann released a Truth in Media video exposing how U.S. foreign policy led to the rise of ISIS. Watch it in the below-embedded video player.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6kdi1UXxhY