Some insights on the link between terrorism, organised crime and ‘new wars’

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to investigate on the relationship between terrorism, criminal organisations, and the so-called “new wars”. Methodology/approach –Review of the existing literature on the “new wars” and on the terrorism-crime nexus; estimate of the financial revenues gained by terrorist groups engaged in illicit activities. Findings –Terrorist and criminal groups can develop several forms of collaboration. Whether terrorists convert to criminal activities or not depends on a variety of factors, both internal and external. In some cases these links are occasional and opportunistic, associated with the possibility of exploiting the availability of specialised competences in a stateless environment, in other cases the warring parties are directly involved and create stable relationships as a way to finance their war activities. Research limitations/implications – Lack of reliable data limits a comprehensive analysis. Nevertheless, the study has important consequences for designing and adopting more effective policies regarding terrorism, organised crime, as well as conflict resolution. Originality/value of the paper – The study presents an overview of different strands of the literature on terrorism; a discussion is articulated on the interplay between “new wars” and the terror-crime connection. Potentially fruitful avenues of investigation are suggested for future research