「扼喉行動」（Operation Choke Point）是歐巴馬政府在2013年至2017年間推行的一項舉措。在該行動中，聯邦機構向銀行施壓，要求其切斷與合法但「政治上不受歡迎」的企業（例如發薪日貸款機構、槍支銷售商和菸草公司）的聯繫。該行動透過限制金融服務管道來打擊特定產業，其「2.0」版本則將目標轉向加密貨幣公司。
「扼喉行動」（1.0）的關鍵面向：
起源：由司法部 (DOJ)、聯邦存款保險公司 (FDIC) 和消費者金融保護局 (CFPB) 發起，旨在打擊詐欺行為。
機制：透過監管壓力，鼓勵銀行識別高風險的合法企業並停止為其提供服務。
目標產業：發薪日貸款機構、槍枝/彈藥經銷商、菸草零售商以及其他通常現金密集型企業。
爭議：批評者認為這是濫用監管權力，迫使銀行扮演執法者的角色，打擊合法但不被認可的行業。
「扼喉行動2.0」（加密貨幣）：
重點：對銀行施加類似的非正式壓力，要求其停止與數位資產（加密貨幣）公司進行銀行業務。
行動：據稱，聯邦監管機構使用警告信和「暫停」函來限制銀行與加密貨幣公司的合作。
結果：由於監管壓力巨大，許多銀行停止與加密貨幣實體開展業務，限制了該行業獲得銀行服務的管道。
註：有些解讀認為，這些行動是標準的風險評估，而非蓄意策劃的「扼喉行動2.0」。
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Operation Choke Point
was a 2013–2017 Obama administration initiative where federal agencies pressured banks to sever ties with lawful, yet "politically disfavored" businesses, such as payday lenders, gun sellers, and tobacco companies. It targeted industries by choking access to financial services, with "2.0" iterations targeting crypto firms. Key Aspects of Operation Choke Point (1.0):
- Origins: Initiated by the Department of Justice (DOJ), FDIC, and CFPB to combat fraud.
- Mechanism: Banks were encouraged through regulatory pressure to identify high-risk, legal businesses and cut their services.
- Targeted Sectors: Payday lenders, firearms/ammunition dealers, tobacco retailers, and other, often cash-intensive, businesses.
- Controversy: Critics viewed it as an abuse of regulatory authority, forcing banks to act as law enforcement against legal, but disapproved, industries.
Operation Choke Point 2.0 (Crypto):
- Focus: Similar, informal pressures applied to banks to de-bank digital asset (crypto) firms.
- Action: Federal regulators allegedly used warnings and "pause" letters to restrict bank involvement with crypto companies.
- Outcome: Many banks ceased doing business with crypto entities due to high regulatory pressure, limiting industry access to banking.
Note: Some interpretations argue that these actions were standard risk assessment rather than a deliberate, coordinated "Operation Choke Point 2.0".
Edward FishmanEdward Fishman
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Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare Hardcover – February 25, 2025
by Edward Fishman (Author)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Selected as a Best Book of the Year by The Economist, Financial Times, Bloomberg, and NPR • Finalist for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award
"Deftly written, Chokepoints is a compelling and dramatic narrative about the new shape of geopolitics."
— Daniel Yergin, The Wall Street Journal
"A timely, riveting world tour...[An] absorbing book."
— The Economist
“Remarkable...One of the most important books on economic warfare ever written.”
— Paul Kennedy, author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers
The epic story of how America turned the world economy into a weapon, upending decades of globalization to confront a new authoritarian axis—Russia, China, and Iran.
It used to be that ravaging another country’s economy required blockading its ports and laying siege to its cities. Now all it takes is a statement posted online by the U.S. government.
In Chokepoints, Edward Fishman, a former top American sanctions official, takes us deep into the back rooms of power to reveal the untold history of the past two decades of U.S. foreign policy. As Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Ayatollah Khamenei wreaked havoc on the world stage, mavericks within the U.S. government built a fearsome new arsenal of economic weapons. Successive U.S. presidents have relied on these weapons to address the most pressing national security threats—for good and for ill.
Chokepoints provides a thrilling account of one of the most transformative developments of our time, demystifying how the U.S. government harnesses the power of Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and Big Oil against America’s enemies. At the center of the narrative are the trailblazing diplomats, lawyers, and financial whizzes who have masterminded America’s escalating economic wars against Russia, China, and Iran.
Control over economic chokepoints—such as the U.S. dollar, advanced microchip technology, and critical minerals—has become the key to geopolitical power in the twenty-first century. The result is a new world order: an economic arms race among great powers and a fracturing global economy. Chokepoints is the definitive account of how America pioneered a new, hard-hitting style of economic warfare—and how it’s changing the world.
Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare
by Edward Fishman is a 2025 book exploring how the U.S. uses economic tools—sanctions, dollar dominance, and tech restrictions—as primary geopolitical weapons. It details the strategy behind targeting Russia, China, and Iran through key financial/technological bottlenecks. Key details regarding "Chokepoints" in the context of the New York Times and related topics:
- The Book: Chokepoints by Edward Fishman (published Feb 25, 2025, by Portfolio) covers the transformation of global economics into a weapon of war.
- Best Seller: The book is listed as a top seller and has been featured by The New York Times, The Economist, and Financial Times.
- Key Themes: The book focuses on how the U.S. government leverages "chokepoints" like Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and critical minerals to influence international affairs.
- Context: It describes a new era where economic warfare is a central component of national security strategy.
- Related Concept: Separate from this book, the New York Times has reported on physical infrastructure "choke points".
Chokepoints by Fishman is widely recognized as a critical analysis of modern geopolitics and economic strategy.
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