Responsible Statecraft: Shadows Over Shells — How It Just Got Easier to Hide Dirty Money in America
- Benjamin Selimotic
- Apr 14
- 1 min read
Updated: Apr 15
Just as the U.S. took its first real step toward transparency in corporate ownership, the Treasury Department slammed it into reverse. A quiet policy rollback has once again opened the door for anonymous shell companies — the very vehicles used by arms traffickers, money launderers, and corrupt military contractors to escape scrutiny and justice.
With U.S. citizens now able to register shell companies in secret, the implications are staggering: bad actors from across the globe can exploit American financial protections, all under the guise of legitimate business.
Kathi Austin, Executive Director of the Conflict Awareness Project, warns:
“The main thing standing between illicit actors and accountability continues to be shell companies which defy responsible arms control measures and have too much blood on their hands unaccounted for.”
Read the full article to see how this decision could unravel years of progress — and what it means for national security, global arms control, and the fight against corruption.
