Center on Economic and Financial Power

FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power promotes strategies and policies to bolster an effective economic security framework that deters America’s adversaries and protects U.S. national security objectives.

With rogue states – including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea – threatening the integrity of the global financial system and increasingly employing offensive economic tools to challenge American interests, CEFP’s cutting-edge research is aimed at sharpening America’s financial toolkit to encourage financial transparency and economic growth while ensuring U.S. dollar primacy.

Armed with open-source intelligence, commercial data, and integrated national economic security strategies, CEFP provides research and analysis to government agencies, international partners, the private sector, and NGOs to address the evolving economic challenges posed by adversaries. Leveraging experience in trade, global financial reform, technology, national security, global governance, capital markets, and emerging alliances, CEFP experts work in tandem with FDD’s centers on American power to promote the use of all instruments of U.S. power to strengthen U.S. national security.

CEFP is comprised of a team of FDD domain experts as well as a top-level board of advisors, who provide strategic guidance, help lead initiatives, and promote research.

CEFP experts also analyze and propose new defensive strategies to protect the strength of America’s economy and those of its partners and allies, as well as developing positive strategies for targeted investment and trade promotion. CEFP likewise explores the changing technological landscape to understand its effects on financial transparency and accountability, two principles underpinning the integrity of the international financial system.

Elaine K. Dezenski serves as Senior Director and Head of CEFP. The Hon. Juan C. Zarate, former Deputy National Security Advisor for Combatting Terrorism, serves as the co-founder and Chairman of CEFP and its Board of Advisors. Mark Dubowitz, CEO of FDD, serves as senior counselor and co-founder.

CEFP is one of FDD’s centers on American power, which also include FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power and FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.