Global Security and Intelligence Studies
finds national security to require otherwise , the President shall terminate all assistance under this Act to any government which aids or abets , by granting sanctuary from prosecution to , any individual or group which has committed an act of international terrorism … ( International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 1976 , vol . 2151 , sec . 303 ).
What is interesting about this law is the deliberate inclusion of the phrase “… individual or group ….” The word “ individual ” provides a glimpse that lawmakers of that time did not see terrorism as inherently a group activity . This view was not necessarily incorporated into terrorism law and policy by present-day legislators .
From these first few references until 9 / 11 , the inclusion of terrorism in federal laws increased slowly in the wake of several high-profile attacks including those conducted by the Unabomber in the 1990s , the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 , the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 , and the Kenya and Tanzania embassy bombings 1998 . All the laws targeting terrorism during this time dealt more with groups ; individual terrorists were mentioned only occasionally and out of the full context of the law . Interestingly , the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993 did not inspire legislators to enact new laws addressing the threat . As noted in the 9 / 11 Commissions report , the successful investigation , arrest , and prosecution of the individuals who perpetrated the first World Trade Center attack gave the impression that the legal system was “… well-equipped to cope with terrorism ” ( National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States 2004 , 72 ).
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
When considering U . S . law and policy within the realm of intelligence and
terrorism , it is essential to include a brief explanation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISA ). This law is the bedrock for all intelligence activities conducted by the USIC on U . S . soil or against U . S . Citizens / permanent residents . FISA history is steeped in the politics of the mid-to-late 1970s when public debate arose regarding powers of U . S . agencies belonging to the Executive Branch . When the Watergate and Church Commissions revealed questionable domestic and international intelligence activities by the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) and other federal agencies , the discussion regarding governmental legal processes ( or more accurately , lack of legal process ) for ongoing intelligence activities on U . S . soil came to a head . In light of these commission ’ s reports , one of the outcomes was the passing of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act ( FISA ) authorizing the formation of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ( FISC ) ( Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court | United States n . d .). This law laid out the legal framework for how U . S . government agencies should obtain legal authority for all domestic , and some foreign , intelligence activities . The critical component of this brief discussion regarding the FISA centers on the issue of the focus on foreign intelligence activities ,
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