Matthew Levitt
Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow at The Washington Institute and director of its Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence. From 2005 to early 2007, he served as deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and analysis at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. In that capacity, he served both as a senior official within the department s terrorism and financial intelligence branch and as deputy chief of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, one of sixteen U.S. intelligence agencies coordinated under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. During his tenure at Treasury, Dr. Levitt played a central role in efforts to protect the U.S. financial system from abuse and to deny terrorists, weapons proliferators, and other rogue actors the ability to finance threats to U.S. national security. In 2008-2009, he served as a State Department counterterrorism advisor to the special envoy for Middle East regional security (SEMERS
Terrorists still raise money through crypto, but the impact is limited Evidence suggests crypto’s role in terrorism remains relatively minor: “It has not yet become a primary means of terror financing.” 1679 Total views Analysis
We’re living today “amidst an explosion of risk related to fraud, money laundering, terrorist financing, and data privacy,” said United States Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in February and she specifically cited cryptocurrencies as a “tool to finance terrorism.”
Yellen appeared to be flagging an important new turn in the war against terror, and it begged some questions: Is crypto in the hands of terrorists a real, present danger to governments and society? If so, should the cryptocurrency and blockchain industry be worried?
March 15, 2021
The following statement on U.S. policy toward Palestinian Authority elections has been endorsed by Washington Institute experts on the Middle East peace process:
Elections are an important building block of democratic government, and the Biden administration should welcome moves toward the conduct of elections within the Palestinian Authority. However, should the PA decide to conduct elections with the participation of Hamas, this could have significant implications for the ability of the United States to engage constructively with the PA and to advance the cause of Palestinian-Israeli peace. While it is ultimately up to the PA to decide on whether, when, and how it will conduct elections, the United States has its own values, policies, and laws that will determine its willingness and even ability to engage with the PA after these elections. To avoid misunderstandings or miscalculations, the United States should clearly, and at a high level, convey to PA leaders i
1:30-3:00 PM | U.S. CT Policy: Charting a Path Forward
As the threats posed by far right and populist violence rise in America, terrorism challenges persist and adapt abroad, and a new Biden administration is settling into office in Washington, counterterrorism policy looks set to face a challenge of priorities. How is the United States best placed to confront the wide range of terrorism threats emanating from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia? How can CT policy evolve to be more effective, and what challenges are likely to appear down the road? Is ending ‘forever wars’ and countering terrorism a contradiction or an opportunity? This panel will aim to assess the state of current U.S. CT policy and determine how the U.S. can adapt to do so more effectively amid a myriad of other geopolitical challenges.