John Guandolo is a security expert focusing on counterterrorism. He has published on terrorist organizations like HAMAS, which is included on the US State Department's list of foreign terrorist organizations. HAMAS was established in the late 1980s during the first Palestinian uprising and is based in the Palestinian territories. While its goals center around creating a Palestinian state with an orientation toward political Islam, HAMAS remains closely tied to violence and terrorist tactics from small arms to rocket attacks to achieve its political ends, despite having participated in legislative elections.