ABSTRACT
One of the longest running legal issues in confronting terrorism is the effort to reach agreement on an internationally accepted definition of terrorism. Economic and other sanctions are an important tool in countering terrorism as well as in dealing with other issues such as non-proliferation and aggressive actions by countries attacking their neighbors. These sanctions imposed on Iran and Russia was not imposed as part of the antiterrorism legislative framework, but they have similar goals: to use economic pressures and/or travel restrictions to persuade the targeted governments to change their unacceptable behavior. The Congressional committee report language for that legislation also described the criteria the Secretary of State should use in formally designating a government as a state sponsor of terrorism. Practical challenges inherent to terrorism interdiction and investigation present novel legal problems for both the prosecution and detention of terrorist subjects.
