FDD Issues Report Outlining Turkey’s Terror Finance Challenges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON – More than a decade into the effort to curb terrorism financing, the U.S.-led sanctions regime is facing a direct challenge – and it’s coming from a NATO ally. Turkey's terror finance challenges are documented in a report released today by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD).

Concerns over Turkish participation in Iran sanctions-busting schemes, cooperation with Iranian banks under international sanctions, funding of jihadi groups in Syria, political and financial support for Hamas, contracting with Chinese firms under U.S. sanctions, and noncompliance with the Financial Action Task Force on terrorism finance laws are among the issues raised in the report, authored by FDD's vice president for research, Jonathan Schanzer.

“Turkey's illicit finance challenges present a problem for the United States,” Schanzer said. “Turkey is a NATO ally. Washington must address these issues as a matter of alliance protection, while also safeguarding the sanctions infrastructure we have worked so hard to build over the years.”

FDD President Clifford D. May said that, “Jonathan has produced a probing report on an important and sensitive subject. It is vital that policy makers and legislators give it serious attention.”

Schanzer, who previously served as terrorism finance analyst for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, leads FDD’s work on Turkey and terrorism finance. 

Download the full report here (PDF).

About the Foundation for Defense of Democracies:

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies is a non-profit, non-partisan policy institute dedicated exclusively to promoting pluralism, defending democratic values, and fighting the ideologies that drive terrorism. Founded shortly after September 11, 2001, FDD combines policy research, democracy and counterterrorism education, strategic communications, and investigative journalism in support of its mission. Visit our website at www.defenddemocracy.org for more information.

Media Contact:

Josh Silberberg, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
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