Bi-weekly News and Opinion Roundup - February 16, 2023

OFAC Issues General License 23 for Earthquake Relief in Syria

On Feb. 9, 2023 the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License 23 to authorize transactions in support of aid and relief to Syria in the wake of the deadly earthquake. Read the full analysis at C&SN. (Feb. 10)

C&SN Opportunity Spotlight

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Sanctions School

A series of podcasts break down the basics of sanctions and explore what they mean for states, businesses, and individuals. Listen to the eight episodes at UK Finance.

UN Experts Urge President of Zimbabwe to Reject Bill Restricting Civic Space

The proposed Private Voluntary Organisations Bill would grant a newly established Office of the Registrar the power to regulate civil society organizations with little to no judicial recourse. Read the full story at UN OCHA. (Feb. 14)

Civil Society Networks Unite to Defend Civic Space in Venezuela

A coalition of civil society organizations condemn a proposed law that would grant the Venezuelan government to supervise, scrutinize, audit, and sanction non-government organizations (NGOs). Read the full statement at IFEX. (Feb. 7)

Zimbabwe’s Draconian Anti-NGO Bill Cannot Be Justified by Invoking Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Demands 

The Private Voluntary Organizations Bill strangles civil society under the guise of complying with FATF recommendations. Sophie Smit provides analysis at the Daily Maverick. (Feb. 6)

Council of Europe: Italy Should Withdraw Decree on Migrant NGOs

Dunja Mijatovic, the Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, called on Italian Prime Minister Miloni to repeal a decree that hinders NGO-led refugee boat rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea. Robert Semonsen reports at the European Conservative. (Feb. 5)

Why Is the Prevent Counter-terrorism Programme Review so Controversial?

For many years “Prevent” has been criticized as an overextension of counterterrorism practice, and an assault on civil liberties and Islamophobia. The Guardian provides context on their “Today in Focus” podcast. (Feb. 14)

Getting to Ground Truth on the Reach of Domestic Violent Extremist Groups Into the Military, Veteran, and Law Enforcement Communities

Carrie Cordero, Katherine Kuzminski, and Arona Baigal analyze the difficulty of addressing domestic violent extremism when the individuals of these groups are active members of U.S. law enforcement or military. Read more at Lawfare. (Feb. 13)

UK Counter-terrorism Report Author Accused of Basing Conclusions on ‘Handful of Cases’

A review of the controversial “Prevent” counterterrorism program concluded that the UK government focused too much on the far right and not enough on Islamist extremism, sparking condemnation from civil society that accused the review of bias and Islamophobia. Mark Townsend reports at The Guardian. (Feb. 12)

The Paradox of Prosecuting Domestic Terrorism

Although U.S. law enforcement has a system for tracking domestic terrorists, there is little legal machinery for “domestic terrorism” within the U.S. Criminal Code. James Verini writes at The New York Times. (Feb. 10)

Igniting SDG Progress Through Digital Financial Inclusion

New evidence demonstrates how financial inclusion creates the foundation for inclusive growing economies. This compendium features extensive evidence-based examples for 13 SDGs relevant to the wide benefits of inclusive digital financial services. Read the full report at UNSGSA. (Feb. 12)

Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Annual Report 2021-2022

The FATF provides an overview of their significant milestones over the last year, including a strategic review after three years of work, and a landmark report on the effectiveness of global compliance with FATF standards. (Feb. 2023)

The US Needs a Strategy for (Human) Security Cooperation

Despite devoting vast resources to counterterrorism forces, the U.S. government still lacks a strategic framework for ensuring that human rights are embedded into every aspect of security cooperation. Linda Bishae and Laura R. Cleary write at Just Security. (Feb. 9)

Why International Aid Still Isn’t reaching Ukrainians in Need

The process of applying for funding is so complicated and time-consuming that local NGOs can’t access the money they desperately need, while major international NGOs are hindered by bureaucracy, limiting their ability to serve populations in need. Corinne Redfern writes for The New Humanitarian. (Feb. 14) 

UN Says Syria Agrees to Open 2 New Crossings for Quake Aid

Following accusations that Assad was withholding aid from populations living under rebel controlled territory as a political move, the Syrian government has agreed to expand the number of aid access points from one to three for the duration of three months. Edith M. Lederer reports for The Washington Post. (Feb. 13)

Syria Quake Aid Held Up by 'Approval Issues' With Hardline Group

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a U.S. foreign terrorist organization (FTO) that has presence in Syria’s northwest, said they would not allow shipments from government-held parts of Syria to areas under their control. Read more at Voice of America. (Feb. 12)

Aid to Quake-hit Syria Slowed by Sanctions, War's Divisions

Abby Sewell and Kareem Chehayeb break down the complicated web of geopolitics and national security measures that have hindered the delivery of aid to Syria. This analysis comes prior to the announcement of two additional aid routes by the UN, and U.S. Treasury’s announcement of General License 23. Read the full story on AP News. (Feb. 7)

OFAC Issues General License for Earthquake Relief in Syria

Steptoe provides a detailed breakdown of the recently issued OFAC General License 23 and how the new license interacts with pre-existing sanction regimes in Syria. (Feb. 15) 

2022 Economic Sanctions Year in Review and Outlook for 2023

Akin Gump provides a summary of the most significant U.S. sanctions and key takeaways from 2022. (Feb. 10)

2022 Year-End Sanctions and Export Controls Update

Over the past year, policymakers broke new ground by  imposing sweeping trade controls on a major, globally connected economy — including adding a record-shattering number of (mostly Russian) individuals and entities to sanctions lists. Read Gibson Dunn’s full report. (Feb. 7)

Attitudes Toward U.S. Relationships with North Korea and China

A new American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)/Harris POll examined U.S. public attitude towards peace and humanitarian issues. More than half of respondents agreed that sanctions should be lifted by the U.S. if they interfere with humanitarian aid. See the full survey results at The Harris Poll. (Feb. 3)