Expanding and Sharing Terrorism Finance Intelligence

Trump announced the new Terrorist Financing Targeting Center, which will be co-chaired by the US (Department of the Treasury) and Saudi Arabia with collaboration of countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) 

Both the Treasury Department and the military at CENTCOM had financial intelligence units by 2005 stateside.  The Treasury had largely been concentrated on state sponsored elements, and the military on the battlefield elements.   Those efforts were combined beginning in late 2005.  By late 2006, a small cell of 20 people combining a mixture of US Federal agents having criminal investigative experience and US intelligence analysts began to work on the ground in Iraq in the Iraq Threat Finance Cell (ITFC).  The mission was to stop the flow of money to terrorists.

By the very early months of 2007, the cell was preparing target packages and co-opting US military units to conduct raids focused on removing the actual money and the path ways through which that money flowed.  Initially the primary effective operations were focused on Al-Qaeda and former regime elements, which were essentially Sunni populations.  The Shia targets, largely linked to the Iraqi government and Iran received top cover from the Iraqi government - meaning the democratically elected government too often gave the Shia targets immunity.

Moving the threat finance intelligence effort to the battle field allowed 24-48 hour turn around on intelligence collected and interrogations, conducted by agent-analyst-interpreter teams (AAIT).  These AAIT affected the flow of money in real time.

Terrorist groups are financially constrained like other military organization business models.  Bullets and bombs are only 5 percent of the cost of doing business. Terrorist groups must pay for mundane essentials including housing, medical care, food, payroll, death benefits to families, transportation of people and equipment, advertising and other administrative overhead.  Taking money away from the terrorist groups reduced terrorism events much greater than just payroll and bullets.


Terrorism financial intelligence efforts expanded to and in Afghanistan and  the rest of the world.  Trump is asking leaders in Muslims country to sharing the information and the burden.   Sharing financial and intelligence can be a double edged sword.

 

References

1.  U.S. and Saudi Arabia to Co-Chair New Terrorist Financing Targeting Center - 5/21/2017
https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/sm0092.aspx
2.  Analysis in Combat: The Deployed Threat Finance Analyst, By J. Edward Conway

Small Wars Journal article, July 5 2012
3.  Fact Sheet: Combating the Financing of Terrorism, Disrupting Terrorism at its Core

https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg1291.aspx
4.  Kirk Meyer, Former Director of the Afghan Threat Finance Cell

https://globalecco.org/kirk-meyer-former-director-of-the-afghan-threat-finance-cell

China vs US Influence Changing

  Most Americans, especially Republicans, see China as a threat.  However, things are shifting.  An April 4, 2017 Pew Research Center survey found 44% of Americans have a favorable opinion of China, up from 37% a year ago.  By contrast 28% Americans in 2012 were concerned about China’s military strength; however, that rose to 36% in 2017.  More than 50 percent of American's are concerned about debt held by China, cyber attacks, adverse environmental impact, loss of jobs to China.  Other concerns rated at less than 50 percent are trade deficit, China's human rights policies, and finally territorial disputes including tension with Taiwan.
  Meanwhile, China's moves to bolster economic ties to South Korea, Vietnam, Philippines, and other countries in east Asia undercut American influence in Asia.
  America may have been a leader in the economic growth of countries around the world in the past.  The US has leveraged its leadership to an economic trade advantage for good reason.  Providing security for the world's maritime trade costs billions of dollars annually.  Countries ranging from Sweden to Singapore benefit from the security that the United States provides.  The economic burden to the United States in 2015 was $598 billion, which constituted about 54% of the United States' discretionary budget fiscal year 2015.
  The American national political cycle hinges largely 4 year presidential elections.  Chinese make plans on a much longer term of 20 years and reviewed and updated 5 year cycles. Asian countries in China's neighborhood have seen the global hegemony shift from Europe with Britain and France to the United States in the past hundred years.
  The invasion of Taiwan has not logistically been a serious threat since June 1950 when Mao saw the North Koreans invade South Korea.  In only days Mao began to shift hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops poised to invade Taiwan to Korea, believing the Americans would not hold at the 38 parallel.  Since then, invasion of Taiwan has not logistically or economically made sense.  Mainland China in several 20 year plans has begun to economically assimilate Taiwan.
  Countries in the South China sea have asked for military assistance from the US to ward off Chinese encroachment.  However, the United States has a global war on terrorism that requires the bulk of its operational forces to sustain.  In the long term - especially the past 15 years, the cost to maintain a global counterterrorism presence has gutted the American military.  The US needs relief, which allies in Europe cannot afford to fund.
  Along with and within China's the "Belt and Road Initiative" or One Belt, One Road (OBOR), China is cutting trade deals including favorable tariffs and large industry segment purchases with countries around the South China Sea.  The Chinese military is also interacting with the militaries of those countries, including providing disaster relief to the Philippines - traditionally a US role.  These countries likely see China on the rise in the long run, and the United States going the way of Britain and France.  China's neighbors are hedging their bets.
  China does not have a free market economy like the rest of the world.  As Deng Xiaoping said in the late 1980's, China has developed "capitalism with Chinese characteristics."  In the same way, China will develop democracy with Chinese characteristics.  The United States needs to be able to think and accept a different way of Chinese accomplishing similar out comes and not let the past be the only guide to predicting and preparing for the future.


References
Americans’ Views of China Improve as Economic Concerns Ease
http://www.pewglobal.org/2017/04/04/americans-views-of-china-improve-as-economic-concerns-ease/
Chinese goods to enjoy tariff exemptions in Vietnam
(Xinhua) 2016-11-02
http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2016-11/02/content_27252048.htm
China remains biggest trade partner of Vietnam in January: Vietnamese customs
(Xinhua) 2017-02-14
http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2017-02/14/content_28194696.htm
China becomes Vietnam's biggest catfish importer: Association
(Xinhua) 2017-05-09
http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2017-05/09/content_29266544.htm
Number of Chinese visitors to rise in 1st four months: Vietnam tourism authority
(Xinhua) 2017-04-27
http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2017-04/27/content_29113138.htm
Chinese naval fleet starts friendly visit to Vietnam
(Xinhua) 2017-05-06 
http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2017-05/06/content_29232787.htm
Chinese naval fleet wraps up visit to Philippines
(Xinhua) 2017-05-02
http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2017-05/02/content_29173326.htm
Philippines open to joint war drills with China: Duterte
(Xinhua) 2017-05-01
http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2017-05/01/content_29156203.htm
China Red Cross provides Philippine quake aid
By Mo Jingxi(chinadaily.com.cn) 2017-02-14 18:48:19
http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2017-02/14/content_28198865

Trusted versus Relied Upon - China - Russia and US

BLUF.  (Bottom Line Up Front)  The United States needs to co-opt China's efforts where they coincide with US interests.


Opinions
1.  The United States cannot trust China (PRC) to unilaterally act in the best interest of the United States. 
    (Note.  The US cannot trust most countries in the world to unilaterally act in our best interest.)
2.  The United States can trust that China will act in the best interest of China.
3.  China will not always act in the best interest of US.
4.  Starting in 1972, China's actions served (US interests) as a counter balance to Soviet global aggression and those Chinese actions dominated Soviet power, and ultimately the Soviet disintegration.
5.  Reagan scared the ba-jesus out of Iran – got the hostages released. Then, he then presided over the fall of the Soviet Union and the Eastern European communist bloc.
6.  Starting in 1992, as soon as it was achieved with the fall of the Soviet Union, the US began to shrink back from its global domination.
7.  Global power abhors a vacuum, and Russia under Putin took advantage to reemerge.
8.  China, as it has for thousands of years, will alternately ally itself with non-Chinese to China’s advantage.
9.  China’s leaders learned from the USSR’s demise, that China could not withstand a sudden or rapid shift to a democratic free market system.
10.  The US takes advantage of economic differences in poorer countries to our economic advantage.
11.  Developing countries - although not reaping equal wage benefit as American counterparts - immensely benefit from American investment and trade.
12. Trump is troubling the Chinese, through decisive actions that should be continued - in order to aggressively push China to accept its global responsibility.


Facts.  The United States has been defacto cooperating economically and militarily with the Communist regime since 1972.
The United States fought:
- Two wars against England.
- Two wars against Germany.
- One war against Spain.
- One war against Japan.
- One war against Italy.
Enemies become friends.
The United States does not completely trust nearly any country.  WikiLeaks reportedly provided evidence that we monitor our allies, like the Brits and Germans (Angela Merkel).
Note. Since that material is classified and I had a high level clearance, I still cannot go to that site without risking violating the law.  I would need to be a democrat in office.


The Chinese government suppresses free speech voices.
The US government has laws that allow surrogates to suppress free speech in American schools and college campuses.
The Chinese government suppresses the spread of Christian religion.
The US government has laws that allow surrogates to suppress free expression of Christian religion in schools and college campuses.
Pakistan is a democratic republic that suppresses free speech and religion.


Opinion.
The Russians and Chinese are cooperating – like two street thugs who have to deal with the cops.
China uses Russians to temper the American influence.
China hates Russians more than Americans.
China is extremely slowly moving to function like the US, not the corrupt dictatorship in Russia.
....extremely slowly
The United States without PRC presence would have a much more difficult time countering Russia.
The PRC without United States presence would have a much more difficult time countering Russia.
The world without the PRC government system currently in place would be impossible for the countries of the free world to control (provide economic and military security).


The Scorpion and the Frog
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scorpion_and_the_Frog
"A scorpion asks a frog to carry it across a river. The frog hesitates, afraid of being stung, but the scorpion argues that if it did so, they would both drown. Considering this, the frog agrees, but midway across the river the scorpion does indeed sting the frog, dooming them both. When the frog asks the scorpion why, the scorpion replies that it was in its nature to do so."


Sunday, a preacher on a local station talked about bull raised for rodeo bull riding.  He explained how they are naturally averse to having people ride them.  A cowboy cannot trust them to be benign.  But, the can be harnessed and relied upon to act in their nature and for what they perceive as their own best interest.


So:
The PRC being a commie government is bad - yes. 
(But,.. For now... I think there is no immediate solution that is better - but we need to find it and wisely manage the Chinese scorpion or rodeo bull.)

Learning China - Book Recommendations

Studying China, one great quote from a recent book stated something to the affect, if you have not learned about China recently, you don't know the China of today.  At the same time, if you don't understand China's history, you cannot understand China. 
Many books are available about the recently economic political and event military developments in China.   The place to start are On China by Henry Kissinger (published May 17, 2011), and The Man on Mao's Right, by Ji Chaozhu  (published August 25, 2008).  The authors are well-respected in their countries and explain historical and political context of events and decision making in China.  Dealing with China, by Henry M. Paulson, (published April 12, 2016) gives insight into current economic pressures and on and from China.
Starting to study a country that constitutes nearly a quarter of the worlds population could be daunting.  So, These three books form a solid foundation of study for someone wanting to learn about China of today. 
The other reading and my observations and recommendations:also follow below:
On China by Henry Kissinger, (May 17, 2011) is primarily detailed history of China, along with how those events have shaped its leaders. The book explains differences in how the Chinese both view themselves as an exceptional civilization and thinks about foreign influence and actions.
https://www.amazon.com/China-Henry-Kissinger/dp/0143121316
The Man on Mao's Right: From Harvard Yard to Tiananmen Square, My Life Inside China's Foreign Ministry, by Ji Chaozhu (August 25, 2008) describes from 1929 China through 1994 through the experience of the man who was a Chinese-English translator who had lived in China and the U.S. and primarily served at Panmunjam during the negotiations, and for Chinese Prime Minister Cho Enlai.
https://www.amazon.com/Man-Maos-Right-Tiananmen-Ministry/dp/1400158230
Dealing with China: An Insider Unmasks the New Economic Superpower, (April 12, 2016), by Henry M. Paulson, describes how Paulson began directly dealing with China while the head of Goldman Sachs in re-engineering their financial and telecom industries to western capitalist methods. Then, as Treasury secretary, influenced Chinese economic reforms reducing U.S. financial system disaster.
The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us by Robyn Meredith (June 2008) describes more current economic situations in China and India and the implications for the U.S. especially through 2020.
The Three Faces of Chinese Power: Might, Money, and Minds, by David M. Lampton (April 30, 2008) describes the military, economic, and intellectual aspects of China's historic and current use of power.
Factory Girls: From Village to City in a Changing China, by Leslie T. Chang (October 7, 2008) is about the migrant Chinese population focused the lives of two 20-something women living in Dongguan, in Honk Kong's neighbor province of Guangdong. The author makes the point that if you have not studied China in the past 5 years, you don't know China. She also discusses and contrasts life back in the farming villages from where most of the immigrants come.
Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang, by Zhao Ziyang, Adi Ignatius, Bao Pu and Renee Chiang (May 18, 2010) is based on notes by Zhao Ziyang drafted during his house arrest after being fired subsequent to Tiananmen. Zhao, who had been appointed Premier by Deng to help liberalize China, made notes are based on his perspective, which was based on limited contact with the world and Chinese political dynamics outside his home after Tiananmen.
A Heart for Freedom: The Remarkable Journey of a Young Dissident, Her Daring Escape, and Her Quest to Free China's Daughters by Chai Ling (Oct 4, 2011) describes the student protesters at Tiananmen Square and her participation in the movement. She demonstrates an irresponsible ignorance of scope and inflated sense of self significance in the governing of China by comparing her 20-hour stint without water in a non-violent portion of protest to China’s leaders at the time who had endured the 3000-mile wartime march and their responsibility to govern a billion people.
For All the Tea in China: How England Stole the World's Favorite Drink and Changed History, by Sarah Rose (March 18, 2010) describes how between 1847 and 1850, the British stole tea plants from China and successfully transplanted them in India. The book also describes the British movement of opium for tea along with the cultural implications and impact on both China and India.
The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II, by Iris Chang, (1997), describes the Japanese 1937 attack and occupation of the Chinese city of Nanking in which 300,000 people were killed and 20,000 women were raped.
The Long March: The True History of Communist China's Founding Myth , Sun Shuyun (May 6, 2008), is written by a Chinese woman who describes the retreat of Chinese communist forces from eastern China in 1934 from the perspective of soldiers who took part as well as contains alternate descriptions of motivations, major events, and battles.
Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45 by Barbara Wertheim Tuchman (Oct 7, 2001) is a biography of U.S. Army General Joseph Stilwell who spent several tours in China ultimately leading the U.S. effort in Burma during WWII.
Confucius - In a Nutshell, by Neil Wenborn (September 7, 2010), describes the life and teachings of a master teacher referred to by the Chinese as "Kong Fu Tsu" which was translated to “Confucious” by western missionaries.
Pearl Buck in China: Journey to The Good Earth by Hilary Spurling (June 1, 2010), describes Pearl Buck's life (1892–1973) growing up in an austere missionary family in China during the Boxer Rebellion and China's civil war.
The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck (1932) was written as a novel but portrays a first-hand account of Chinese peasant life in the early 1900s including customs and culture.
1421: The Year China Discovered America, by Gavin Menzies describes his theory and rationale that Chinese discovered and mapped both coasts of America. Menzies starts with verifiable realities of Chinese maritime trade into the Indian Ocean and parts of Africa. And then, he cites real sources to extrapolate possible Chinese actions without actual evidence.  (Worth skipping.)