Money laundering allows crime to pay by permitting criminals to hide and legitimize proceeds derived from illegal activities. According to one recent estimate, worldwide money laundering activity amounts to roughly $1 trillion a year. These illicit funds allow criminals to finance a range of additional criminal activities. Moreover, money laundering abets corruption, distorts economic decision-making, aggravates social ills, and threatens the integrity of financial institutions. Money launderers now have access to the speed and ease of modern electronic finance. Given the staggering volume of this crime, broad international cooperation between law enforcement and regulatory agencies is essential in order to identify the source of illegal proceeds, trace the funds to specific criminal activities, and confiscate criminals' financial assets. This issue of Economic Perspectives gives some idea of the scope of the problem as well as the way agencies of the U.S. government are cooperating with each other, the private sector, and foreign governments to contain this scourge. -- Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary     Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department of State