Fighting Terrorism the FATF Way (Financial Action Task Force‪)‬

An effective counterterrorist strategy must reflect the adaptive and transnational nature of terrorism. The challenge presented to lead organizations in the fight against terrorism is assessing threats and understanding terrorist group behavior with the goal to structure and implement an effective transnational response. The fight to capture and shut down terrorist financing requires coordination points, flexibility, and robust commitment by states. The importance of the structure of such a response is central to the question of state compliance. The success of the Financial Action Task Force makes it an ideal case study for effective measures in response to the particular challenges of funding of global terrorism. This article details how the FATF has become adaptive, facilitating transnational effectiveness in the fight to counterterrorist financing and compliance through globally recognized standards, peer review evaluations, and sanctions. KEYWORDS: compliance, international standards, money laundering, counterterrorist financing, counterterrorism. **********