When Terrorists Go Bad: Analyzing Terrorist Organizations’ Involvement in Drug Smuggling

Abstract

The intersection of terrorism and organized crime is a central global security concern. However, the conditions that contribute to this intersection or hinder its development are widely debated. Drawing on prominent cases of ideologically driven violent nonstate actors engaged in illicit economies, some scholars argue that this intersection is a logical evolution. Other scholars, focusing on the fact that relatively few groups engage in both organized crime and terrorism, argue that ideological differences hinder this intersection. We use data on 395 terrorist organizations to analyze how organizational and environmental factors affect the likelihood of terrorist involvement in illicit drug trafficking. Our analysis shows that the degree of connectivity within networks of terrorist groups is the most significant predictor of a group engaging in drug trafficking. Further, contrary to the theorized effects of ideology, an explicit religious ideology has no significant effect while an ethnopolitical ideology actually increases the likelihood of drug trafficking.

Global and Domestic Networks Advancing Prospects for Institutional and Social Change: The Collective Action Response to Violence Against Journalists

“…Our model conceptualizes domestic and global networks pressing for a safe and secure environment for journalists. We also draw on the conceptualization of "dark networks" (Asal et al, 2015;Raab & Milward, 2003) and Reese's (2015Reese's ( , p. 2263) "globalization of mediated spaces" work, which focused on transnational environmentalism within China. In our model, the global environment includes IGOs (such as UNESCO, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights), INGOs (such as Article 19, Freedom House, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and Reporters Without Borders), and other states (other governments, largely the United States in this study).…”

“…Raab and Milward (2003) developed the dark networks "metaphor-and its associated analytical framework out of a need to understand the increasingly decentralized nature of groups engaged in illicit and covert activities" (Asal, Milward, & Schoon, 2015, p. 114). Previous dark-networks research has focused upon the Al Qaeda terror network, drug-trafficking networks, and weapons-and diamond-smuggling networks (Asal et al, 2015;Milward & Raab, 2006;Raab & Milward, 2003, p. 413).…”

Terrorism and Social Movements; Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Social Movements, 2nd Edition

“…These organizations were supposedly motivated by the need to "right an injustice or redress a grievance" (Asal, Milward, and Schoon 2015:112; see also Abadinsky 1994;Morselli, Giguère, and Petit 2007). Yet, the end of the Cold War significantly curtailed state funding for violent non-state actors, and a growing number of violent organizations began participating in criminal operations to finance their activities (Makarenko 2004).…”

Mexican Migrant Smugglers and Foreign Terrorists

“…The involvement of violent non-state actors, including insurgent and terrorist groups, in drugs smuggling has been known for some time. Many scholars have pointed out that the narcotic trade facilitates terrorism [5][6][7][8][9][10]. On the contrary, there is a lack of empirical evidence concerning the involvement of migrant smugglers in terrorist activities.…”