Treasury's War

Juan Zarate created "Treasury's War", as it became apparent that the war against terrorist networks and other national foes would need to have a financial dimension. Zarate and his colleagues invented financial warfare. The book goes behind the scenes in unprecedented detail to explain how a small group 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. The key leverage was to be the private sector - feeding off of the dynamics in the international financial system in which private sector interests dovetailed directly with U.S. national security interests. Zarate inserted Treasury into all the key decisions being made within the government, proving its value to isolate rogue actors and to provide the President with as many options as possible between diplomacy and war. His efforts took him to North Korea, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Latvia, Cyprus, Burma, Cuba, Saudi Arabia and beyond. He faced down arms dealer Victor Bout, Dawood Ibrahim, the financier and organizer of the Mumbai bombings and the Iranian backed group Hizbollah. When Barack Obama succeeded to the presidency he left entirely intact the treasury's financial warfare team, a rare bipartisan concession and a recognition that the work they had been doing was at the leading edge of how America would continue to exercise influence and ensure its security in the world. There has been very little written about the unique story of the US's financial warfare campaigns and techniques developed and deployed over the last decade. This book is the definitive account, from the creator and chief architect.