Organized crime has boomed over the past 20 years, with transnational criminal markets thriving across a range of sectors, from narcotics and arms trafficking to human trafficking and environmental crime. In conflict-affected states, organized crime can function as a ‘spoiler,’ undermining peace processes and state capacities, delegitimizing governments and driving instability and violence. Addressing organized crime is of critical importance for peace operations and other peacebuilding endeavors in conflict-affected and fragile states.
This research project explores multilateral strategies for responding to transnational organized crime, based on case study research and analysis in the Central African Republic and Mali. The forthcoming research (April 2024) will include case studies on these dynamics in both countries, and a policy memo considering global strategies for improving multilateral responses.
