PROJECTS

Here, you will find a one-stop-shop for each SOC ACE research project including publications, information about events and external engagement, media and contact details for researchers.

Colombia, Afghanistan, Myanmar kennedy campbell Colombia, Afghanistan, Myanmar kennedy campbell

Para-statal armed groups, illicit economies and organised crime

This research paper examines the nexus between para-statal armed groups (PAGs), illicit economies and organized crime, with a particular focus on the borderlands of Afghanistan, Myanmar and Colombia. It draws upon new data and analysis generated by a four-year GCRF project, Drugs & (Dis)order. This involved longitudinal, mixed methods research in nine drugs- and conflict-affected borderlands, where PAGs have become embedded within the political, military and economic landscape. The paper sets out a new conceptual framework for analysing the organised crime-militia nexus in conflict-affected borderlands.

Read More
Afghanistan kennedy campbell Afghanistan kennedy campbell

Assessing the illicit finance and terrorist financing nexus in the case of Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001

With the fall of the Ghani government in August 2021 and the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan, the future of the international community’s financial relationships with the governing regime in Kabul should be reassessed. An understanding of the difference between illicit finance risks and terrorist financing risks emanating from the country, as well as the nexus between them, is critical for this purpose. 

Read More
Colombia, Brazil kennedy campbell Colombia, Brazil kennedy campbell

Strategic competition and drivers of armed violence in organised crime

This research analyses the drivers of armed violence linked to organised crime. It is a scoping exercise of the academic and policy literature on organised crime and violence, looking closely at the evidence related to causes of violence linked specifically to organised crime. It also briefly analyses some important trends in research on environmental and societal factors influencing the likelihood of criminal violence. It provides brief case studies that illustrate different drivers at play.

Read More