Criminological Theories: Classifying Crime - Terrorism or Organized Crime?, Lecture notes of Terrorist Networks and Counter-Terror Organizations

Download Criminological Theories: Classifying Crime - Terrorism or Organized Crime? and more Lecture notes Terrorist Networks and Counter-Terror Organizations in PDF only on Docsity! Criminological Theories Terrorists have political goals, while criminal organizations pursue personal profit goals; but some analysts see growing convergence. Crime scene: Someone has unlawfully entered a fur farm, destroyed the cages and machines, and set free all the minks, foxes, and rabbits. Is it malicious destruction of property or terrorism? What do you need to know to determine how to classify the act for law-enforcement purposes? What difference will your conclusion make for enforcement actions? Mexican drug smuggling cartels are engaged in deadly combat against the Federales. Narco-traffickers use tactics – ambushes, assassination of officials, kidnappings – indistinguishable from terrorist methods. Violence has begun to spill across the US-Mexico border. How often do terrorist groups turn to crime to finance their operations? When and why might terrorists collaborate with organized criminals? Contrasts: Street Criminals & Terrorists DIMENSIONS Street Criminals Terrorists_____ 1. Methods __________________ ______________ Targets __________________ ______________ 2. Short-term goals __________________ ______________ Long-term goals __________________ ______________ Other motives __________________ ______________ 3. Profiles __________________ ______________ Backgrounds __________________ ______________ Training, experiences __________________ ______________ Sam Mullins argued that crime and terrorism should be compared on three main dimensions: Methods (actions); Motives (short- & long-term goals); Profiles (who‟s involved). Describe how “street criminals” (muggers, thieves, robbers) differ from terrorists: Cooperation at Lower Levels Criminal ONES. OR Terrorist Syndicates COOPERATION Groups MID-LEVEL \ MID-LEVEL CELL [| — CELL | LONG STRATEGIC - N LOW-LEVEL RRR ' LOW-LEVEL Figure 2. Graphic depiction of a new dynamic where low- to mid-level criminals and terrorists c eS WI ZI . These lower to mid-level members are the pillars of decentralized criminal and terrorist organizations, and cooperation between the two will lead to new challenges for law enforcement authorities. Strange Bedfellows Criminal orgs and terrorist cells may see mutual advantages from a collaboration, ranging from one-time illegal weapons purchase to long- term alliances in which both organizations seek the same political goals. Class divides into small Freedonia Liberation Org cells to debate whether and how to cooperate with the Sylvania Consortaria – the neighbor-nation‟s criminal syndicate. What goods & services needed for FLO operations should your cell acquire from the Consortaria? How can you raise enough fund$ to buy them? What services & skills could you barter for them? Rufus T. Firefly, Freedonia‟s ruthless dictator, has been cracking down on illegal border traffic, hurting the Sylvania Consortaria‟s profits. What joint FLO-SC operation against his regime could reap mutual payoffs? Should your cell seek a long-term merger with the Consortaria to advance Freedonia Liberation‟s goals? What benefits & dangers? The Terror-Crime Spectrum Chester Oehme saw a growing convergence among criminals, insurgents, terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan, requiring “not only comprehensive steps, but very agile ones” to disrupt these hybrid networks. “The interaction between terrorism & [transnational] organized crime is growing deeper and more complex all the time. In short, the lines of separation are no longer unequivocal.” (Shelley & Picarelli 2005:52) The TERROR-CRIME SPECTRUM  Imitation: Borrowing & copying one another‟s methods  Nexus: Spot-market buying & selling goods and services  Symbiotic: Working together regularly & sharing goals  Hybrid: Terror and crime groups merge into one org  Transformation: Fixates on one goal, dropping the other Regions where a significant terror-crime nexus is most evident are Chechnya, former Yugoslavia, and Tri-Border Area of South America. Oehme, Chester G. 2008. "Terrorists, Insurgents, and Criminals - Growing Nexus?" Studies in Conflict & Terrorism 31(1):80-93. Shelly, Louise I. and John T. Picarelli. 2005. “Methods and Motives: Exploring Links between Transitional Organized Crime and International Terrorism.” Trends in Organized Crime 9(2):52-67.