When America was hit on 9/11, many people instantly saw the destruction that was inflicted on the country pouring over the news channels. What many people did not see was the massive bets that were placed in the stock markets prior to the terrible events of that day. Short positions taken in the airline sector were just one of the most glaring examples.
The government took the threat so serious at the time, that Operation Green Quest was formed just to go after terrorist financing sources. The group was later dismantled in 2003, and the job of finding and tracking these organizations fell back on the shoulders of the FBI and the Department of Justice.
The fact of the matter still remains, why is it that we are told about every little incident that is related to the terrorism that we have already been programmed to understand? Events like shoe bombs and plots to blow up buildings or planes, but we are left in the dark when it comes to the plans to take down our financial system.
Let me ask you a question. One terrorist blows up plane that takes off from an airport. The second crashes our stock market with the intent of toppling our economy. Which is worse?
The loss of life with the explosion of the plane is instant, obvious, and heart breaking for the survivors of their loved ones. The stock market crash is a headline that runs on the evening news and gets a lot less attention. Why?
Maybe there is a very good chance that the news will not report that a financial crash is a terrorist attack in the first place, not fully understanding the nature of the crash. It is not as obvious as an airliner burning on the ground. Also, to do so would compromise the confidence in the financial system. And although people will eventually have to fly again, they may not be so eager to put money into a marketplace they know is vulnerable to attacks and may not even be able to be stopped.
The impact of a financial attack on the country can wipe out retirement and investment accounts due to losses that can take years to recover from, if at all. This overall has the ability of impacting far more people than the loved ones left in the wake of downing a plane.
It's a new world out there, folks, and the ability for nations and organizations to hack into computers and manipulate our markets are growing by the day, in my opinion. So much so that I have created and started to write a fictional series based on these types of financial attacks that have happened and may be more common in our future.
When you think of terrorism as it applies to the world of finance, you must forget what you have been told. This is not about a religion or an agenda that is being pushed or protested. This is about money and removing a big player from the world stage-the U.S.
Don't think Taliban; think drug cartels and billionaires of opposing countries that have the most to gain by a weakened or hobbled America. They can not only carry out their objective of destroying a country, but they can become extremely wealthy doing it.
Sometimes, just the threat alone or the leverage an enemy can hold over a nation or institution can be enough to sway policy or the position a country may hold on a particular matter.
Let me ask you another question. They tell us if we see something, to say something. How do you report what can't be seen by the average citizen?