The Crime-Terror Nexus: Rethinking Security Through a Criminological Framework
Keywords:
Transnational Networks, Ideological Violence, Illicit Financing, Hybrid Threats, Legal Frameworks, Security Governance, Social Disorganization, Radicalization Pathways Intelligence Coordination, Preventive StrategiesAbstract
The intersection of organized crime and terrorism—often referred to as the crime-terror nexus—presents an evolving and complex threat to global security frameworks. This article explores how traditional distinctions between criminal and terrorist groups are increasingly obsolete in the face of their tactical, operational, and strategic convergence. The purpose of the study is to rethink contemporary security responses by applying a criminological lens to better understand the root causes and dynamics underpinning this nexus. Through qualitative analysis of case studies and application of criminological theories such as strain theory and routine activity theory, the research reveals how socio-economic marginalization, state fragility, and globalization facilitate the symbiosis between criminal and terrorist networks. The study further critiques existing international legal and policy frameworks that often treat crime and terrorism in isolation, highlighting gaps in enforcement, coordination, and accountability. It proposes a multidisciplinary, prevention-focused approach involving law enforcement, community engagement, and legal reform. The key finding is that a criminological framework—emphasizing social context, prevention, and rehabilitation—offers a more holistic and sustainable strategy for disrupting the crime-terror nexus and enhancing global security. This reconceptualization demands coordinated policy innovation that bridges the divide between criminal justice and counterterrorism efforts. The traditional dichotomy between organized crime and terrorism has increasingly blurred in the face of complex global security dynamics. The convergence of criminal and terrorist enterprises—the crime-terror nexus—presents multifaceted challenges to national and international security. This article re-examines the phenomenon through a criminological lens, arguing for a reorientation of policy and legal frameworks to address hybrid threats. Drawing from case studies, theoretical models, and international legal instruments, the article emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary approaches that bridge criminology, security studies, and law.
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