Washington Considers Expanding Its List of Foreign Terrorist Organizations

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is deliberating over whether to designate two very different Islamist groups in the Middle East as foreign terrorist organizations. On Monday, the White House considered issuing an executive order to declare the Muslim Brotherhood and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) terrorist groups. It has since indefinitely delayed the order in response to concerns from U.S. defense and intelligence officials. If the administration decides to follow through with the order, it could reassure the U.S. allies in the Middle East that feel most threatened by the Muslim Brotherhood and IRGC. At the same time, however, the move would risk destabilizing other partnerships in the region. More important, it would do little to curtail the activities of either group....