Thread by @NGrossman81

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps is not a terrorist group. It's a state military branch.
The US can, and does, sanction the Revolutionary Guard without this label. The only point is misusing the word "terrorist" as a synonym for "bad."
No strategic benefit
aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/l…

The United States designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group isn't the worst thing in the world. It'll bother me more than most because I teach about terrorism.
But still, it's dumb. All downside, no upside. Here's why.
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State militaries aren't terrorist groups. Yes, they both use force to advance political goals. But their capabilities, options, strategic circumstances, and specific aims vary considerably.
Macintosh, Granny Smith, and Honeycrisp aren't oranges, even though they're all fruit.
3/x

When I say the Revolutionary Guard and other state military branches aren't terrorist groups that doesn't mean they're good.
States, not terrorist groups, are responsible for the worst things in history, killing way more people.
It's classification. Value judgment is separate
4/x

No question Iran is an American adversary, and has done many things that deserve criticism. That doesn't mean a branch of their military is a terrorist group.
"Terrorist" is not a synonym for "thing I don't like," and employing it that way robs a very useful word of meaning.
5/x

Designating a non-state actor as an official foreign terrorist org (al Qaeda, Real IRA, ISIS, Boko Haram, etc) imposes a financial squeeze, freezing assets, cracking down on fundraising fronts, and signaling to allies to do the same. Also gives a direction to intel agencies.
6/x

But US can impose a financial squeeze without labeling a group terrorists.
In fact, US already imposed sanctions on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and its leaders, in addition to general sanctions against Iran. And intel agencies already monitor them.
So that's not it.
7/x

Trump admin labeling IRGC terrorists for symbolic reasons--a way to say "they're bad"
They haven't explained the decision. Only non-symbolic reason I can think of is an attempt to make bombing Iran legal under the Authorization for the Use of Military Force against terrorists
8/x

Designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist org won't change any opinions or policies. It won't convince the rest of the world Iran was violating the nuclear deal. It won't get Europe to start supporting rather than opposing Trump's Iran policy.
9/x
arcdigital.media/trump-united-t…

It's the first time US has labeled a state military branch a terrorist org. In response, Iran's threatening to label the US military a terrorist org. Other countries could follow these precedents.
All this does it make us dumber, reducing public understanding of terrorism.
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