Lesson plan
Flatow Amendment
The Flatow Amendment is an amendment to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 passed in 1996, which allows American victims of terrorism to sue countries that are designated as terrorism sponsors. The legislation establishes that foreign state sponsors of terrorism "shall be liable to a United States national … for personal injury or death caused by acts of that [party]…." It is named after Stephen Flatow, whose daughter Alisa Flatow was killed in a suicide bombing attack carried out by militants belonging to the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine in 1995. After her death, Flatow commenced a series of lawsuits against the Iranian government. US Courts are thus authorized to award money damages to said victims. The executive branch, however, has often resisted paying these judgments from frozen terrorist state assets by arguing that it would hamper presidential ability to conduct foreign affairs.
Article summary
The Flatow Amendment is an amendment to the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 passed in 1996, which allows American victims of terrorism to sue countries that are designated as terrorism sponsors. The legislation establishes that foreign state sponsors of terrorism "shall be liable to a United States national … for personal injury or death caused by acts of that [party]…." It is named after Stephen Flatow, whose daughter Alisa Flatow was killed in a suicide bombing attack carried out by militants belonging to the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine in 1995. After her death, Flatow commenced a series of lawsuits against the Iranian government. US Courts are thus authorized to award money damages to said victims. The executive branch, however, has often resisted paying these judgments from frozen terrorist state assets by arguing that it would hamper presidential ability to conduct foreign affairs.
Key claims
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.