Security and Transnational Issues

1
Security and Transnational Issues

• PI3036 International Security
• Week 9

2
What is transnational?

• According to Keohane and Nye, political activity
  can be described as 'transnational' when
  'tangible or intangible items move across state
  boundaries' and 'when at least one actor is not
  an agent of a government or an intergovernmental
  organisation'.

3
Security and Transnational Issues

• Intl Organised Crime and Terrorism
• How do we define organised crime?
• Why should we be examining OC?
• What is the relationship between OC and security?
• What is the relationship between organised crime
  and terrorism?
• What is terrorism?
• Does OC constitute a security threat in the same
  way as that of international terrorism or nuclear
  proliferation?

4
How do we define organised crime?

• Definitions of Organised Crime
• Difficult to define
• Cressey Economic definition
• Maltz Political definition

5
How do we define organised crime?

• Types of Criminality
• Labour racketeering/extortion
• Drug trafficking
• Other trafficking
• Price-fixing
• Illegal gambling
• Prostitution (not Sicilian Mafia)
• Extortion rings
• Private terrorism

6
Why study organised crime?

• Political studies is concerned with developing a
  knowledge and understanding of government and
  society.
• In some cases, there has been a historic link
  between OC and government US and Italy

7
How can we study OC?

• Should we consider transnational organised crime
  in the same way that we do nuclear proliferation
  or other insecurities?
• Traditional approach No
• Critical approach Yes

8
Transnational OC in focus

• Russian Organised Crime
• racketeering,
• corruption,
• intimidation of businesses and public officials,
• money laundering and extra-judicial
  killings/assassinations.
• Seen throughout Central and Eastern Europe as
  well as US

9
Transnational OC in focus

• Drugs and Latin America
• Cocaine
• Heroin
• Marijuana
• American War on Drugs
• Invasion of Panama
• Plan Columbia
• Shiprider Agreement

10
Organised Crime and Terrorism

• What is the relationship?
• Two sides of the same coin?
• One political, one economic
• What factors govern todays relationship?
• Globalisation
• Regionalisation
• Information technology

11
Organised Crime and Terrorism

• Examples
• Provisional IRA
• FARC (Columbia)
• Shining Path (Peru)
• PFLP (Lebanon)
• Hezbollah (Lebanon)?

12
What is terrorism?

• Definition
• Goal Political
• Purpose Fear
• Targets victim reactions
• Methods combat tactics
• Conditions Asymmetric conflict

13
What is terrorism?

• CIA Definition of Terrorism
• The term terrorism means premeditated,
  politically motivated violence perpetrated
  against non-combatant targets by sub-national
  groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to
  influence an audience.
• The term international terrorism means
  terrorism involving the territory or the citizens
  of more than one country.
• The term terrorist group means any group that
  practices, or has significant subgroups that
  practice, international terrorism.

14
What is terrorism?

• Opportunities for expansion
• Technology
• Transnational support
• Media
• Religion
• Acts
• Bombing
• Hijacking
• Arson
• Assault
• Kidnapping
• Hostage-taking

15
Terrorism in the world
16
Organised Crime and Terrorism

• Contradicting forces
• Organised crime does not work in anarchy, it
  relies on state structures.
• As in any business, constant flux is never
  profitable for long.
• Terrorist groups
• Want political change, which may not always suit
  organised crime groups.
• Thrive on disrupting the status quo.

17
Conclusion

• Does OC constitute a security threat in the same
  way as that of international terrorism or nuclear
  proliferation?
• Yes
• No

18
Conclusion

• Intl Organised Crime and Terrorism
• How do we define organised crime?
• Why should we be examining OC?
• What is the relationship between OC and security?
• What is the relationship between organised crime
  and terrorism?
• What is terrorism?
• Does OC constitute a security threat in the same
  way as that of international terrorism or nuclear
  proliferation?