Terrorism as Organized Crime

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Kyle Dabruzzi have written a new paper entitled “The Convergence of Crime and Terror.” It discusses how the “Al Capone model” of focusing on getting people off the streets by prosecuting for minor included offenses the government can easily prove — in this case, drug trafficking, financial scams, cyber-crime, illegal money transfers, and immigration violations — have been used to fight terrorism.

FILED UNDER: Terrorism, Uncategorized,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. Triumph says:

    Did these guys work for the Kerry campaign?

  2. John Burgess says:

    Seems rather late in the game to be getting that particular clue. How has Cosa Nostra operated? How did the IRA work? By raising funds through organized crime to further their use of terror tactics to achieve political goals.

    Is this the new Rip Van Winkle?

  3. floyd says:

    Sounds like a solid response to the present invasion sponsored by Fox & Calderon![with a strong fifth column in the U.S.]

  4. legion says:

    Ummm… isn’t this _exactly_ what the Clinton administration was criticized by the GOP for?

  5. James Joyner says:

    Ummm… isn’t this _exactly_ what the Clinton administration was criticized by the GOP for?

    I don’t think anyone ever suggested that using law enforcement techniques to combat terrorism is a bad idea, merely that this shouldn’t be the only tool t our disposal. Indeed, while we’re happy to get mobsters off the street for tax evasion, that doesn’t stop us from trying to get them for murder, racketeering, drug trafficking, and the like.