US Terrorism policy towards Sudan : blinded by Islamic Fundamentalism?

• Main Author: Harris, Robert A.
• Other Authors: Letitia L. Lawson
• Language: en_US
• Published: Monterey, California: Naval Postgraduate School 2012
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10945/13435

Sudan is currently ruled by a government that was put in place by a 1989 military coup that overthrew a democratically elected government. The U.S. considers Sudan an Islamic Fundamentalist regime because National Islamic Front (NIF) members hold key positions in the government In 1993 the U.S. imposed unilateral diplomatic and economic sanctions against Sudan for allegedly harboring terrorist organizations. This thesis assesses U.S. policy towards Sudan with respect to terrorism. It reviews current policies and argues that key strategic interests are being neglected. The U.S. tends to equate Islamic Fundamentalism with its more radical element terrorism, which significantly influences U.S. policy towards Sudan. Currently the terrorism policy of the US is based on countering state-sponsored terrorism while the more significant threat is from a new breed of well-funded terrorists who operate independently of states. Instead of isolating Sudan for harboring such individuals, the U.S. should take advantage of Sudan's influence with loosely knit Islamic groups. America's inability to effectively deal with the evolving terrorism threat as reflected in its policy toward Sudan, re resents a serious vacuum in its ability to provide for its national security.