Treasury's War: The Unleashing of a New Era of Financial Warfare

摘要

Juan Zarate, former US Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism and the first Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for terrorist financing and financial crime, has written a timely and important book. As transnational terrorist organisations gain strength across Africa and the greater Middle East, the connections between such organisations and transnational organised-crime networks are becoming increasingly apparent. As such, it is clear that success against terrorist organisations depends on much more than military operations. Zarate observes that while 'money is the lifeblood for terrorist organizations, criminal syndicates, and rogue regimes', it is also a critical vulnerability (p. 1). As he points out, the US government was the first to apply financial power against threats to national security, but he warns that 'the domain of financial warfare will no longer remain the sole province of American power'. He concludes that the US must work with allies and partners to minimise vulnerabilities in the financial system and to prepare for the 'financial wars' of the future (p. 421).