Treasury's war : the unleashing of a new era of financial warfare

For more than a decade, America has been waging a new kind of war against the financial networks of rogue regimes, proliferators, terrorist groups, and criminal syndicates. Juan Zarate, a chief architect of modern financial warfare and a former senior Treasury and White House official, pulls back the curtain on this shadowy world. In this gripping story, he explains in unprecedented detail how a small, dedicatedRead more... Abstract: For more than a decade, America has been waging a new kind of war against the financial networks of rogue regimes, proliferators, terrorist groups, and criminal syndicates. Juan Zarate, a chief architect of modern financial warfare and a former senior Treasury and White House official, pulls back the curtain on this shadowy world. In this gripping story, he explains in unprecedented detail how a small, dedicated group of officials redefined the Treasury's role and used its unique powers, relationships, and reputation to apply financial pressure against America's enemies. This group unleashed a new brand of financial powerthat leveraged the private sector and banks directly to isolate rogues from the international financial system. By harnessing the forces of globalization and the centrality of the American market and dollar, Treasury developed a new way of undermining America's foes. Treasury and its tools soon became, and remain, critical in the most vital geopolitical challenges facing the United States, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and the regimes in Iran, North Korea, and Syria. This book is the definitive account, by an unparalleled expert, of how financial warfare has taken pride of place in American foreign policy and how America's competitors and enemies are now learning to use this type of power themselves. This is the unique story of the United States' financial war campaigns and the contours and uses of financial power, and of the warfare to come For more than a decade, America has been waging a new kind of war against the financial networks of rogue regimes, proliferators, terrorist groups, and criminal syndicates. Juan Zarate, a chief architect of modern financial warfare and a former senior Treasury and White House official, pulls back the curtain on this shadowy world. In this gripping story, he explains in unprecedented detail how a small, dedicated group of officials redefined the Treasury's role and used its unique powers, relationships, and reputation to apply financial pressure against America's enemies. This group unleashed a new brand of financial power -- one that leveraged the private sector and banks directly to isolate rogues from the international financial system. By harnessing the forces of globalization and the centrality of the American market and dollar, Treasury developed a new way of undermining America's foes. Treasury and its tools soon became, and remain, critical in the most vital geopolitical challenges facing the United States, including terrorism, nuclear proliferation, and the regimes in Iran, North Korea, and Syria. This book is the definitive account, by an unparalleled expert, of how financial warfare has taken pride of place in American foreign policy and how America's competitors and enemies are now learning to use this type of power themselves. This is the unique story of the United States' financial war campaigns and the contours and uses of financial power, and of the warfare to come. How The United States Uses Economic Embargoes And Financial Tools As Weapons Against Murderous Terrorist Groups And Rogue States Such As North Korea, Iran And Syria. Zarate, A Senior Adviser At The Center For Strategic And International Studies, Is A Former Federal Prosecutor Who Joined The U.s. Treasury Department After The 9/11 Attacks To Figure Out Ways To Constrict The Financing Of Terrorist Groups. Relying Heavily On Anecdotes, Acronyms And Actual Case Studies, He Provides Detailed Explanations Of Secretive Operations Far Less Publicized Than Ground Wars And Drone Strikes. The Hidden War -- The Modern Megarian Decree -- Foundation. A New Kind Of War ; Financial Footprints ; Nose Under The Tent ; Financial Chokepoints -- A New Paradigm. Blowfish ; Bad Banks ; The Mother Of All Financial Investigations ; Resurrection -- Financial Furies. Killing The Chicken To Scare The Monkeys ; The Awakening ; Putting The Genie Back In The Bottle ; Revelation ; The Constriction Campaign -- Adaptation. Dusting Off The Playbook ; Learning Curve ; The Coming Financial Wars -- Lessons From The Use Of Financial Power. Juan C. Zarate. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. How the United States uses economic embargoes and financial tools as weapons against murderous terrorist groups and "rogue states" such as North Korea, Iran and Syria. Zarate, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, is a former federal prosecutor who joined the U.S. Treasury Department after the 9/11 attacks to figure out ways to constrict the financing of terrorist groups. Relying heavily on anecdotes, acronyms and actual case studies, he provides detailed explanations of secretive operations far less publicized than ground wars and drone strikes. Read more... Abstract: The author and his colleagues invented financial warfare. This book explains how they redefined the role of Treasury relying on its unique powers, relationships, and reputation, after the realization that the Treasury was critical to national security and needed to take advantage of the new financial security environment that had evolved. Read more... Content: Prologue: "The hidden war" -- Introduction: The modern Megarian Decree -- Part I: Foundation. A new kind of war Financial footprints Nose under the tent Financial chokepoints -- Part II: A new paradigm. Blowfish Bad banks "The mother of all financial investigations" Resurrection -- Part III: Financial furies. "Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys" The awakening Putting the genie back in the bottle Revelation The constriction campaign -- Part IV. Adaptation. Dusting off the playbook Learning curve The coming financial wars -- Epilogue: Lessons from the use of financial power.