Now, when petition to "Designate Russia as State Sponsor of Terrorism" has reached the required number of 100,000 signatures, I am trying to figure out for myself, what exactly does this term mean, and by what criteria a country can be designated as such.
According to U.S. Department of State, countries in this list are designated and maintained in keeping with three laws:
- Export Administration Act (EAA) of 1979, Sec. 6j
- Arms Export Control Act (AECA), Sec. 40
- Foreign Assistance Act (FAA), Sec. 620
As far as I understand, all three laws define the ways how U.S. maintains its trade policy, including licensing, taxes, limitations, items and materials prohibited to export, banned persons and organizations, and so on.
However, these laws do not say how a country can be added to this list or removed from it.
So, my question is, what exact criteria are used to designate a country as "State Sponsor of Terrorism"?
I'm not a lawyer, so a brief explanation in "layman's terms" would be the best.