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over exported goods. In this context, the listing of terrorist states was
viewed as a means of linking trade policy with action against the
emerging problem of international terrorism. Over time, the terrorist
state label has become associated with a number of serious
consequences for the designated nations, beyond trade limitations with
American companies. These include economic sanctions, denial of
foreign aid, penalties under international law, and the threat of military
intervention.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the origins and usages
of this official listing of terrorist states as an instrument of American
policy. Categorization is a critical conceptual act within the policy
making process that involves the grouping together of supposedly like
people, events, and nations, while separating them from those that are
different. Inevitably, categorization is both a pragmatic and a rhetorical
process that advances a set of arguments about observed behavior,
influences the processing of information, and guides the direction of
policy strategy. The State Department listing is viewed here as a certain
type of measurement-based discourse. It is prime evidence for the