Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says idleness, poverty, and government corruption fuel anger among young people across the Middle East.

Mr. Romney told world leaders at the Clinton Global Initiative forum in New York Tuesday that religious extremism is not the whole story.

He said promoting jobs and free enterprise would be what he calls a “higher priority” if he is elected president. This includes plans to send foreign aid to developing countries that strip away trade barriers and open their markets to U.S. investment.

President Barack Obama also spoke at the forum. He announced new programs aimed at fighting human trafficking, which he calls modern slavery and a debasement of humanity.

Both the president and Mr. Romney will campaign Wednesday in the midwest state of Ohio — one of several states crucial in winning the White House. The latest polls show Mr. Romney trailing the president in those states and nationally.