Analysis & Commentary - Yaya J. Fanusie
Terror Finance Briefing Book
The Terror Finance Briefing Book is a product of FDD’s Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance (CSIF) created to help policymakers better understand how terrorist groups fund their operations so that they may be targeted more effectively. This publication will compile financial assessments of select jihadist organizations in the Middle East and Africa. more...
Boko Haram Financial Assessment
Boko Haram (“Western education is forbidden”) is reeling under the pressure of Nigerian military operations, but its mobility and relatively low-cost operations in poorly governed territory will likely allow it to mount attacks despite dwindling resources. As Boko Haram is degraded militarily, it may squeeze locals more to provide for the day-to-day livelihood of its militants. more...
Islamic State Financial Assessment
In 2016, Islamic State (IS) likely had revenue in the high hundreds of millions of dollars. IS probably made between $1 and $2 billion in 2015. Indeed, IS is one of the most-funded terrorist organizations of all time. IS derives substantial income from controlling land rather than from outside sources, making interdiction difficult without retaking territory. Its main funding sources have been oil and gas sales, taxes and extortion, and cash stolen from banks. more...
Flying Above the Radar
With the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in January 2016, most international sanctions against Iran have been lifted. These include long-standing U.S. sanctions against Iran’s aviation sector. The United States has removed all but four Iranian civilian airlines – Caspian Airlines, Mahan Air, Meraj Air, and Pouya Air – from its sanctions lists. more...
Monumental Fight: Countering the Islamic State’s Antiquities Trafficking
In the four and a half years since the Syrian civil war began, the terrorist group known as Islamic State (IS) has become one of the most destabilizing actors in the Middle East. more...