Economic Security

How the Treasury Is Hindering Efforts to Combat Illicit Finance

Foreign and malign actors constantly exploit weak ownership reporting requirements to launder money throughout the United States.

Bank of America Hit With Historic $1.2 Billion Fine for Illicit Finance Failures

The U.S. financial system is the envy of the world. It’s also a major hub for illicit finance. Protecting the former requires confronting the latter, including when the failures occur at the nation’s...

Securing the United States Bulk-Power System

Europe’s Hardening Stance Against China Is Washington’s Opportunity

Europe is beginning to confront the economic costs of China’s market-distorting practices in earnest. On October 7, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to adopt a much tougher stance on China....

US got pandas from China. Trump needs a lot more than that

Presidents Trump and Xi Jinping traded goodwill and extended a trade truce, but the rivalry hasn't softened. Soybeans, rare earths and Taiwan will show whether Beijing is playing ball.

Blockade bites hard at Iran’s borders — Trump can’t cave now

To understand the economic devastation Iran is now experiencing, look no further than the trucks choking its borders. Thousands of them have lined up at land crossings into neighboring Turkey and Afghanistan,...

How Boosting Your Privacy Will Make America More Secure

New digital identity tools could give individuals greater control over personal data while helping combat fraud, illicit finance, and AI-enabled threats.

China is quietly taking over the North American car market

The U.S. fighting with Canada and Mexico is making the problem worse.

Import Controls

Tools to Counter the CCP's Industrial Policy and Supply Chain Threats

Yes, China’s State-Owned Shipping Giant Is Spying on the United States

COSCO’s cover is blown. On September 1, Reuters reported that the Chinese state-owned shipping giant — one of the largest maritime services companies in the world — uses equipment concealed aboard...

China’s Push for Transport Integration Could Expand Beijing’s Control of Central Asian Trade Routes

A new front in the U.S.-China competition is taking shape along the Middle Corridor, the critical trade route linking China and Europe while bypassing Russia and Iran. This corridor, also known as the...

The U.S. Rare Earth Playbook Provides a Blueprint for Supply Chain Securitization

Washington is arming itself against weaponization of rare-earth-element supply chains. On August 24, the Department of Defense’s Economic Defense Unit (EDU) announced a $750 million offtake agreement...

The Axis of Aggressors Is Getting Ready for War. Is America?

America has grown addicted to the phrase “wars of choice,” often using it to vilify the U.S. government for campaigns deemed unnecessary. Wholesale skepticism of  military power, however, undermines...

US and Canada brawl over hockey sticks — so China skates off with big trade wins

It’s like a fistfight between conjoined twins: The United States and Canada are throwing tariffs and insults at each other tit-for-tat in one of the most unnecessary trade wars in recent memory. “I...

Taiwan’s Chip Smuggling Case Shows Promise for Allied Export Control Enforcement

In a world of globalized supply chains, enforcing export controls is also a globalized effort. On August 24, Taiwan charged nine individuals in a scheme to smuggle Super Micro servers containing Nvidia...

Operation Economic Outcast Commences, And Where It Could Head

And so, it begins. On Monday, the U.S. Treasury Department launched Operation Economic Outcast in a bid to expand the architecture of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran and its network...

5 Things To Know About China’s Coercion Campaign Against Taiwan and the Limits of Leader-Level Diplomacy

President Donald Trump emerged from his May 2026 summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping embracing a new framework for U.S.-China relations. The White House said the two leaders agreed to build a “constructive...

An obscure financial watchdog could bring down Myanmar’s murderous regime

The task force could stop the junta from buying weapons from America's enemies.

Knowledge is power: Why America needs economic security intelligence

Excerpt America was unprepared for its trade war with China, but it shouldn’t have been. As Beijing cut off access to critical minerals, the United States had no response but a quiet retreat. The...

Halting Trade With Iran Won’t Help UAE Combat Sanctions Evasion

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is moving to constrain Iran economically — but it is leaving a major source of regime revenue untouched. On August 18, following a series of high-level discussions with...