Columbia International Affairs Online: Policy Briefs

CIAO DATE: 05/2010

What is the Purpose of the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations List?

Patrick Clawson

March 2010

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Abstract

The United States maintains a range of "terrorist lists," of which the Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list is one of the better known. But in two recent court cases, the U.S. government has offered arguments that raise questions about the purpose of the list.