Dr Jonathan Goodhand and Dr Patrick Meehan of The Centre for the Study of Illicit Economies, Violence, and Development (CIVAD), SOAS University of London, are leading an invitation-only Policy Lab this month on ‘Addressing paramilitary violence and organised crime in war to peace transitions kicks off this month.’

Preliminary findings from research on ‘Exploring the consequences of organised crime and illegal trade displacement in Eurasia’ have led to the formulation of three hypotheses for further testing.

Early findings from SOC ACE funded ‘Medellín demonstration project’ led by Professors Christopher Blattman and Santiago Tobón was picked up by local and national news in Colombia.

This month, we present research on whistle-blower schemes in the fight against economic crime, Balochistan’s illicit markets, paramilitary violence and organised crime in war-to-peace transitions. We also explore politically feasible SSR responses to organised crime (OC), test strategic communications combating it, and analyse civil society's role in addressing OC. Sign up for next month’s newsletter now!

SOC ACE researchers recently participated in the World Bank Fragility Forum 2024, where they shared insights and perspectives on tackling global challenges. Professors Santiago Tobón from EAFIT Universidad and Benjamin Lessing from the University of Chicago participated in a panel sponsored by the Inter-American Development Bank.

New research gives an overview of SOC ACE partner GI-TOC’s research and experiences in engaging with and supporting civil society responses to organised crime. This is provided in the context of the ongoing threats and shrinking space for civil society, and a need for policymakers and officials to understand civil society’s role, value and potential.

SOC ACE researcher Dr Erica Marat from the College of International Security Affairs (CISA), National Defense University, recently shared insights in an interview with Al Jazeera, on her research on drug trafficking, violence and corruption in Central Asia.

In the U.S. Naval War College’s newly launched podcast series "The Trident," host Col. Dave Brown was joined by SOC ACE researcher, Dr David H. Ucko (NDU) and guests Robert S. Burrell and Richard Tilley delve into the definition and evolving construct of Irregular Warfare (IW) within the Department of Defense (DoD).

This month, we present research on the impact of the Taliban's resurgence on Afghanistan's opium trade, the nexus between paramilitaries, illicit economies, and organised crime in borderland regions of Afghanistan, Myanmar, and Colombia. It also covers illicit financial flows in East and Southern Africa and the Mekong, SOC-related sanctions and political will, new SOC metrics for accountability in Medellín, and a framework testing organised crime as irregular warfare. Finally, it examines the consequences of organised crime and illegal trade displacement in Eurasia due to Russia's war against Ukraine. Sign up for next month’s newsletter now!

SOC ACE research papers published in 2023.

New research tests the use and applicability of the ‘IFF’s Pyramid’ framework in East and Southern Africa. The framework was developed in an earlier phase of the SOC ACE project, titled “Unlocking the Black Box of Political Will on IFFs: Going Beyond Technical Responses.”

These two research papers contribute to the comparative research phase of a broader project aiming to understand the challenges associated with countering Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs). This research tests and applies the ‘IFFs pyramid (developed in the initial phase of the project) in the context of East and southern Africa and the Mekong region.

This paper is the second of a three-part series exploring the nexus between paramilitaries, illicit economies and organised crime. This research paper examines the nexus between paramilitaries, illicit economies and organised crime in frontier regions, through detailed case study analysis of these phenomena in the borderlands of Afghanistan, Myanmar and Colombia.

This research paper set out to capture the implications of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021 for the local realities of the opium trade and the diverse actors whose lives are entangled in the country’s pervasive drug economy. The paper has a focus on two important localities for the country’s opium economy: Helmand and Nangarhar.

This research paper is the first of a three-part series exploring the nexus between paramilitaries, illicit economies and organised crime. The research advances a conceptual framework for analysing the nexus in borderland and frontier regions and outlines how this concept advances the growing body of recent literature on militias and paramilitaries.

Dr. Tena Prelec Presents Evidence to the UK Parliament’s House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee, discussing key issues affecting in the Western Balkans.

This month, we present research on the impact of Afghanistan’s drug trade on its neighbours; the political economy of gold mining in Takhar, Afghanistan; militarised approaches to organised crime; and security sector reform (SSR) and organised crime. Sign up for next month’s newsletter now!

Dr Tena Prelec and Dr David Lewis join panel on ‘Ukraine and Croatia: Navigating (Post)-War Hopes and Challenges’ organised by Univeristy of Rijeka’s CAS SEE and IDM Vienna. The panel explored how Croatian politics, society, and economy have changed during and after the war, as well as how Croatia and other neighbouring countries have addressed the challenges of the post-war period.

Dr Tena Prelec (University of Rijeka) joined episode 102 of the Global Anti-Corruption Podcast ‘KickBack,’ to discuss “Professional enablers and transnational corruption: How can standards be raised?” Panellists discussed the topic of so-called 'professional enablers'. Distinguishing between legal and illegal functions, the group discuss the types of activities related to corruption that the term might (and might not) encompass.

Gonzalo Saiz, Research Analyst at CFCS (Centre for Financial Crime and Security Studies) RUSI, shared findings from his recent SOC ACE research paper on sanctions evasion and avoidance, which explores the motivations driving third countries to partake in these activities, to students at Esade University in Barcelona.