The 105th Congress, in response to what is seen as a growing terrorist threat, created the ten-person, bi-partisan National Commission on Terrorism to evaluateU.S. Theresulting NTC report, Countering theChanging Threat of International Terrorism, was issued on June 5, 2000. It calls on the U.S. government toprepare more actively to prevent and deal with afuture mass casualty, catastrophic terrorist attack. In citingincidences of such a drift in policy, the report suggests there is a softening of U.S. positions on Iran and Syria andpoints to a perceived U.S. weakness in notaggressively confronting Pakistan's support for terrorist groups. Issues for Congress

Protecting civil liberties, while effectively combating terrorism, remains a strong area of concern in Congress. A number of the Commission's recommendationshave drawn sharp criticism from civil libertarian and Arab-American groups. Issues within the purview of the Commission's mandate, but not addressed in its report or in the reports cited above include:
(1) Who should be in charge of U.S. counterterrorism policy, and what are the best organizational mechanisms for policy formulation and implementation;
(2) How does one effectively utilize the gamut of tools available to policymakers to combat terrorism: i.e., public diplomacy, economic and political sanctions,covert action, military force, and international cooperation and agreements;
(3) How does one prioritize for budget purposes whatever is viewed as an appropriate mix of counterterrorism resources to facilitate assuring that importantcomponents are neither short-changed or overfunded depending on political "clout"; 
(4) How effective are sanctions and military force as policy tools; how might their use be improved; and how are commercial interests balanced in the equation. For example, if U.S. trade with China is deemed to produce a moderating effect on China's rogue human rights policy, supporters of the "carrot" approach mightargue that trade with Libya could have a moderating effect on that nation's rogue terrorism policy. Conclusion

The National Commission on Terrorism's report and recommendations on countering the changing threat of international terrorism are likely to spur strongcongressional interest in counterterrorism policy during the 107th Congress. The most likely areas ofscrutiny include: (1) more productive counterterrorismpolicies and mindsets; (2) enhanced use of legislative authority to impose sanctions on states that support or activelycountenance terrorism, and (3) methods ofachieving a more cohesive, better coordinated federal counterterrorism effort through enhanced budget coordinationmechanisms.
On June 5, 2000, the National Commission on Terrorism (NTC), a congressionallymandated bi-partisan body, issueda report providing a blueprint for U.S. counter- terrorism policy with both policy and legislative recommendations.The report could be significant in shaping thedirection of U.S. policy and the debate in Congress. It generally argues for a more aggressiveU.S. strategy in combating terrorism. Critics, however, argue thatNTC conclusions and recommendations ignore competing U.S. goals and interests; i.e that a proactive strategymight lead to the curbing of individual rights andliberties, damage important commercial interests, and widen disagreements between the U.S. and its allies overusing the "stick" as opposed to the "carrot"approach in dealing with states that actively support or countenance terrorism.
The NTC report is likely to stimulate strong congressional interest in counterterrorism policy in the 107th Congress. Likely areas of focus are (1) a more proactivecounterterrorism policy; (2) a stronger state sanctions policy; and (3) a more cohesive/better coordinated U.S.federal counterterrorism response. January 23, 2001press reports indicate that Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla) has urged House Speaker Dennis Hastert to create a HouseSelect Committee on Domestic Terrorism. In the106th Congress, H.R. 4210, which passed the House, would also give added attention todomestic terrorism by establishing a President's Council onDomestic Preparedness in the White House. Moreover, in the 106th Congress, S. 3205, the(Kyl-Feinstein) Counteterrrorism Act of 2000, whichpassed the Senate, incorporated a number of recommendations of the NTC including measures to ensure (1)enhanced policy emphasis on control of biologicalpathogens and terrorist funding raising; (2) better sharing of FBI intelligence; (3) easier recruitment of CIAcounter-terrorism informants; and (4) maintainingSyria and Iran on the list of countries that sponsor terrorism. This report will not be updated.