Blood Profits: How American Consumers Unwittingly Fund Terrorists

by Vanessa Neumann

International smuggling has exploded, deepening and accelerating the collaboration of transnational organized crime and terrorist groups. Attacks like the Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan shootings in Paris, the kidnappings and murders by Boko Haram in Nigeria, and the San Bernardino shooting were partially funded by seemingly harmless illegal goods such as cheap cigarettes, smuggled oil, prostitution, fake Viagra, fake designer bags, and even bootleg DVDs.

But how can this be? In Blood Profits, Vanessa Neumann, an expert on dismantling illicit trade, explains how purchasing illegal goods translates to supporting organized crime and terrorists. Neumann shows how the effects of the collapsed Iron Curtain, USSR scientists and intelligence agents left without work, regional trade pacts, the dissipation of the East-versus-West mentality, and new-age technology have all led to an intricate network of illegal trade. She leads the reader through a variety of cases, both by geography and by industry (selecting industries where illicit trade is generally poorly understood), before extracting lessons learned into some policy recommendations that we can all embrace.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

320 pages, Hardcover

Published December 5, 2017

Reviews

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just for the record, I won a free copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

I can't think of any better way to summarize this book than to redirect your attention to the subtitle. It is as advertised on the jacket. This book is more about identifying and highlighting problems than comprehensively solving them. Neumann suggests some possible strategies, but this is more about shining light in dark places than a clarion call to action.

Honestly, I found this book a bit slow going in spots. Part of that is just the nature of it. There are lots of names and places and complex interactions to trace. It doesn't help that you occasionally get asides about Neumann's life and friends that paint a picture of a somewhat upper class and aristocratic life that I found just a tad bit alienating. To be fair, that's more about me than her. Your mileage may vary. Whatever real or imagined faults I found in this book, she definitely knows her subject, and explains everything as clearly and concisely as the material allows. In the end, I don't think I'd recommend this book, but it was definitely interesting.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm giving this three stars because while it was super interesting and extremely illuminating in some ways, it was also absolute trash in others. To the author; I don't care about your company, I don't care about your rich and powerful friends, and I resent the ease with which it seems you get into high power rooms because of your family name/wealth. I have no doubts that Dr. Neumann is brilliant, highly qualified and experienced enough to write this book, I just wish she had left herself out of it and focused on the crime terror pipeline OR gone the opposite route and made it totally about herself. Either way would have worked for me but this mish-mash detracted from my experience.

[Melinda M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Profits: Smugglers, Counterfeiters, Terrorists, and the Illicit Superhighways That Connect Them by Vanessa Neumann covers an area that is ignored by most. It tells how connected to terrorists that counterfeiters who make knock off merchandise. The merchandise that is counterfeit may be low in monetary cost but the cost to society is extremely high. It was an interesting and informative book.

I received a copy thru a Goodreads giveaway.

[Hannah Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as the information contained goes, the book is very interesting. Sometimes the details get a little hard to follow, but that's not Neumann's fault; she explains it clearly. It's just very complicated because it IS very complicated. I learned a lot about cross-border terrorism/crime links, and it's clear she's very knowledgeable about her topic.

However, I did not appreciate how large chunks of the book felt like an advertisement for her company rather than staying focused on the actual topic, and the casual displays of wealth were incredibly disconcerting. At points those were indeed relevant to the topic, demonstrating the links between crime and wealth. No problem. But other anecdotes, especially her paragraph on being forced to cancel her expensive Caribbean vacation to go to an international convention (in Paris, I think?), fell flat.

She lives a life of incredible privilege, and I don't think that lends itself well to discussing consumer habits. I know buying counterfeit bags, drugs, and stolen artwork sends money to terrorists and criminals. But let's be real, most people aren't buying even $1k counterfeit handbags and Middle Eastern artifacts, so it's not terribly relevant for the American consumer in the title. She mentions Amazon counterfeits at one point, and then never again, but I would have loved to hear more about that. Almost everyone shops at Amazon. How do we avoid counterfeits there? She mentioned, again only once, a gas station brand that supports a dictatorship. Great, let's learn more about that too! Some of the scolding rang tone deaf as well, as she railed against cheap clothing (which we also didn't learn much about) and drug use--certainly, some people are buying fast fashion and doing drugs because they want to be cool. But I'd guess the majority are buying cheap clothes because they can't afford high quality ones, and are doing drugs because they're addicted. At least an acknowledgement of the complications of ethical consumption, not to mention addiction, would have been very good.

Ultimately I learned some interesting things, but I didn't learn much about what I hoped to from the title, which is how I personally can avoid supporting crime and terrorism with my spending habits. I think, like another reviewer mentioned, the book tries too hard to be too many things at once, and it winds up feeling rather scattered and like it doesn't accomplish its purpose. It's a pity, because it has the potential to be a really great read.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway. I am giving it 3 stars because it is obvious that Vanessa Neumann is knowledgeable about this topic. Unfortunately, it was presented in a way that didn't always work for me. I found my attention wandering in quite a few parts, as I read pages of complicated acronyms and names of the different players involved. I know this information was necessary, but it was a slog to read. I also found the book repetitious at times. However, the parts I found interesting were very interesting. For example, I liked how she explained that the drug cartels were watching the move towards legalization in the US, so they made a concerted effort to market heroin and basically created the demand we see today. That was interesting because it was explained as A = B = C. It's a format I would have liked to see more of, so that the path from a consumer's actions to the criminals or terrorists was clearly outlined. I know in real life the lines cross and it's not always linear, but for illustrative purposes I think it would have been helpful.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Profits is remarkably insightful and compelling. If you want to read an educational, interesting and addictive book about transnational organized crime and terrorist groups, this is it. It explains in depth all about criminal connections, mixing outstanding theoretical analysis with personal anecdotes. In addition, Neumann's way of writing is thought-provoking, it challenges us to think critically about the way our choices have an impact on inequality, corruption and injustice. It’s an inspiration to read about a woman so deep into that field, who is also an entrepreneuse. It’s a rare combination that not only adds interest but inspires other young women to follow their heart’s ambitions. This should definitely be a required reading.

[Ian Yarington · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must read for anyone that is interested in the funding of terrorism or the way that all of the subtitles connect with each other. I was surprised with the way that Neumann connects these dots and wrote with such knowledge and was able to relate it to person experience as well. These topics are so very important and Neumann took it on very professionally and made this book a page turner.

[Jenee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting information and point of view. Lent it to my friend who is a US history teacher, and he is very intrigued to use it in his classroom.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative. Well worth the read.