Stacie Pettyjohn is a Ph.D. candidate in the department of politicsat the University of Virginia, and is currently working on herdissertation entitled “Talking with Terrorists: American Policytoward the ANC, PLO, Sinn Fein, and Hamas.” Her dissertationexamines United States policy toward nationalist terroristorganizations, and identifies when the U.S. will begin a publicdialogue with a terrorist organization. She also explains theconditions under which a policy of engagement can help to transformnationalist terrorist organizations into legitimate politicalparties, and when it will encourage further violence.