Phil Carter has a blog post up about The Convergence of Crime and War, with a lot of excellent links to professional papers et. al. It's a subject we've been harping about for a while here at Winds of Change.NET, though our focus is more on the fusion of crime, nation-states and terrorism than the "bottom up" evolution Carter is covering. As this LA Times article reminds us, however, we're already facing the stuff that Carter is talking about on the battlefield. Winds of Change.NET's look at this phenomenon includes this recommended set:
See also:
- It Is The Time of the 'Decent People' (March 14/05) re: the "RAfia" in Ireland, a theme addressed more fully in "Terror, Inc."
- Strangling Syria's Regime, by Tom Holsinger (Feb 24/05)
- Narcocainia, South America (Aug 03/04)
- The Crime Money Bubble, by M. Simon (July 16/03)
- Russia's Rising Darkness (May 27/03)
- North Korea's Tony Sopranos (Jan 22/03)
- Colombia: All FARCed Up (May 17/02)
- Counterterrorism in Tribal Societies is also somewhat relevant, as sponsorship of organized criminal and/or terrorist activities has strongly tribal dimensions in many parts of the world.
Terrorism is an easy pattern to reach for if a strong organized crime movement finds itself under pressure from governments. Organized crime, meanwhile, offers an independent source of money to terrorists of all stripes - the critical element that has determined the longevity of terrorist organizations world-wide over the last 50 years. Organized criminal activity also creates a source of instability and trouble in weak or failed states, while weakening them further and creating even more fertile recruiting grounds and refuges for terrorist organizations (see Robert Kaplan's "The Coming Anarchy", also reviewed by The Brothers Judd blog and referenced in our Recommended Reading Lists). And officials in state sponsors of terrorism run by unaccountable dictators often find that millions of dollars in criminal income is an attractive proposition.
It's a vicious and intertwined cycle - and a subject we'll continue to cover here at Winds of Change.NET.