{
  "id": "RL31119",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL31119",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101088,
      "date": "2002-02-13",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:15:34.146941",
      "title": "Terrorism: Near Eastern Groups and State Sponsors, 2002",
      "summary": "The Al Qaeda terrorist network founded by Osama bin Laden is believed to pose a continuing,\nalthough diminished, threat to the United States at home and to U.S. interests and allies abroad\nfollowing the network's defeat in its base in Afghanistan. As stated in taped appearances by its\nleaders since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,\nthe goal of Al Qaeda is to destroy high profile U.S. targets in order to end what Al Qaeda claims is\nU.S. suppression of Islamic societies. In these appearances, bin Laden virtually claimed\nresponsibility for the September 11 attacks. Throughout its history, Al Qaeda has sought to oust\npro-U.S. regimes in the Middle East and gain removal of U.S. troops from the region.\n  Before September 11, signs pointed to a decline in state sponsorship of terrorism. Since the\nattacks, some countries that are designated by the United States as state sponsors of terrorism,\nincluding Iran and Sudan, have cooperated to an extent with the U.S.-led war against Al Qaeda and\nits Taliban protectors in Afghanistan. In spite of its cooperation against the Taliban and Al Qaeda,\nIran is still considered a major sponsor of radical Islamic groups that conduct terrorism against Israel. \n  The Arab-Israeli peace process is a longstanding major U.S. foreign policy interest, and the\nAdministration and Congress are concerned about any terrorist groups or state sponsors that oppose\nthe process. Possibly because of a breakdown in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process in September\n2000, Palestinian organizations such as Hamas, as well as older groups such as the Popular Front\nfor the Liberation of Palestine that have been inactive for years, have stepped up operations against\nIsraelis. Following several major terrorist attacks against Israelis since December 2001, the United\nStates has strongly criticized Palestinian Authority President Yasir Arafat for failing to exert\nsufficient efforts to constrain these and other groups. Some analysts assert that Israel's actions\nagainst the Palestinians have contributed to increased Palestinian support for violence against Israel. \n  U.S. differences with other governments on the strategies for countering terrorism in the Near\nEast have to some extent narrowed since September 11. The United States, in the past, differed with\nits allies, particularly on how to deal with state sponsors of terrorism; most allied governments\nbelieve that engaging these countries diplomatically might sometimes be more effective than trying\nto isolate or punish them. The United States has generally been more inclined than its European\nallies to employ sanctions and military action to compel state sponsors and groups to abandon\nterrorism. Post-September 11 developments seem to have validated the importance of both\ndiplomacy and, in certain circumstances, more forceful responses in dealing with terrorism. \nDifferences with allies have begun to reemerge as the Bush Administration expands its \"war on\nterrorism,\" indicating it will seek to prevent the emergence of threats by regimes -- some of which\nalso have ties to terrorist groups -- that are developing weapons of mass destruction (WMD).\n  This report will be updated annually.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/RL31119",
          "sha1": "ef180ef3d06bc59c65a770b18da9ba9f3b39433d",
          "filename": "files/20020213_RL31119_ef180ef3d06bc59c65a770b18da9ba9f3b39433d.html",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/RL31119",
          "sha1": "47d7cd29e7d3acda1ee4f63f0a0e52eed5194b8c",
          "filename": "files/20020213_RL31119_47d7cd29e7d3acda1ee4f63f0a0e52eed5194b8c.pdf",
          "images": null
        }
      ],
      "topics": []
    },
    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs1841/",
      "id": "RL31119 2001-09-10",
      "date": "2001-09-10",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-11T22:13:16",
      "title": "Terrorism: Near Eastern Groups and State Sponsors, 2001",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORT",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "filename": "files/20010910_RL31119_b43bb02d30340e06859e2138af711ce0a92faf88.pdf"
        },
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "filename": "files/20010910_RL31119_b43bb02d30340e06859e2138af711ce0a92faf88.html"
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "International affairs",
          "name": "International affairs"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Terrorists",
          "name": "Terrorists"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "State-sponsored terrorism",
          "name": "State-sponsored terrorism"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "International affairs",
          "name": "International affairs"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economic Policy",
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "Intelligence and National Security"
  ]
}