Dear Supporter,

President Joe Biden has committed to leading the fight against corruption and illicit financial flows. Add to that the sweeping new transparency reforms in the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, and the United States is well-positioned to further expand and strategically deploy its tools of financial pressure in support of peace, human rights, and good governance.

In The Sentry’s latest briefing, “Using Financial Pressures to Combat Kleptocracy in Africa,” our Deputy Director of Illicit Finance Policy Megha Swamy details how the US can use financial tools of pressure to revitalize its efforts to combat corruption, conflict, and mass atrocities. In South Sudan, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the Central African Republic (CAR), mass corruption fuels conflict. When properly targeted, tools of financial pressure like anti-money laundering measures and network sanctions—particularly through Global Magnitsky authorities—can help save lives by disrupting illicit financial flows, affecting the cost-benefit calculations of ruling kleptocrats and their networks, and creating accountability for financial crimes.

Over the past few years, the United States has used tools of financial pressure with promising positive impact. The Biden administration should expand their use, strategically deploying these tools to support renewed diplomatic efforts toward sustainable peace, improved human rights, and good governance efforts.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

John Prendergast
Co-Founder of The Sentry