State-Sponsored Terrorism : The case of Pakistan

Abstract: This thesis aims to understand why Pakistan is not on the US State Departement's list of state sponsors of terrorism. This has been done via a theoretical case study that makes use of the US code to identify what makes a country qualify for the State Department's list. It also makes use of defensive realism to understand and see if any other factors could explain why Pakistan is not on the list. These theoretical frameworks have been applied to how the situation looks like in Pakistan and how the US has responded. After the framework has been applied this thesis draws the conclusions that Pakistan qualifies for the list but according to defensive realism the US has acted rationally when they have decided not to put Pakistan on the list. By adopting moderate strategies towards Pakistan, the US can avoid problematic situations and conflicts that could arise if Pakistan were to be appointed. This is especially important since Pakistan is located in a region with high tensions.