ABSTRACT
The U.S. Department of State1 (often referred to as the State Department) is the lead U.S. government (USG) agency for countering terrorism overseas. This responsibility arises naturally from the department’s role as the lead foreign affairs department responsible for the whole range of U.S. foreign interests (see Figure 16.1). The department was created in 1789 and was the rst executive department established. Within the executive branch, the secretary of state is the president’s principal foreign policy advisor, although other ofcials or individuals also have great in„uence on foreign policy decisions and programs.
