The U.S. Treasury Department’s point man on terrorist financing is off to the Middle East for nearly two weeks.
Daniel Glaser, assistant Treasury secretary for terrorist financing, will travel to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
Glaser will talk with government and private sector officials about the threat of terrorist financing, the need to strengthen anti-money laundering regimes and efforts to implement sanctions against Syria and Iran.
Glaser seems to be the guy they send abroad when they actually want something done. Wolin, Cohen, et al are sent for show.
But the Gulf officials will just tell us whatever we want to hear.
These efforts just trim around the edges of terrorism financing it seems. After the revelations about terrorism financing through zakat and charities in the 9/11 Commission report, the US Treasury Dept seemed to crack down on Islamic charities to some degree. But Obama has made good on his pledge in Cairo to reduce scrutiny of zakat. I can’t remember the last time the US Treasury designated an Islamic charity as a terrorist entity…