Combat and comply: The effectiveness of international organizations in enforcing terrorist financing law

Using terrorist financing as a case study, this study examines variations in the effectiveness of various international organizations (IOs) involved in ensuring compliance with international law. This paper offers a comparative analysis of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee, World Bank/International Monetary Fund, the Financial Action Task Force, and the Egmont Group, in an effort to examine why certain compliance strategies may result in legislative changes. The potential causes of compliance with international law and the extent to which states have criminalized terrorist financing are analyzed using information on the methodology and procedures of IOs, as well as data on the legislative reforms enacted by states. The study found that some of the strategies employed by IOs have been effective in ensuring that countries criminalize terrorist financing, while external factors such as the incidence of terrorist activity, strategic alliances or national resources may also influence whether states alter their legislation.