The Puzzle of Peaceful Borders and Transnational Illicit Flows

• In Event: The Intersection of Criminality and War

Abstract

This paper addresses an unexplored link between the existence of peaceful borders, in terms of lack of armed conflicts, and the presence of security threats posed by the proliferation of transnational illicit flows conducted by Non-State Actors (NSAs) in the Americas and elsewhere in the world. These NSAs might include trasnational organized crime groups or organizations, as well as terrorist cells, who exploit the looseness and demilitarization of the borderlands, by taking advantage of the jurisdictional arbitrage create by sovereign borders, so they can engage in transnational illicit activities across borders.
In other words, there might be a possible linkage between the peacefulness, openness, demilitarization, softening, and porousness of these borders and the proliferation of transnational illicit flows, precipitated by the incursion of transnational organized crime groups and terrorist cells.
In empirical terms, we focus upon the Americas (North America, Central America, and South America), especially since the end of the Cold War, as it it characterized by international peace, domestic peace, and regional integration in several of its sub-regions. In that sense, there is a puzzling and stark contrast between the reality of inter-state peace and domestic peace and the phenomena of low intensity domestic violence, including a high rate of homicides and transnational crime.
The major research question we ask is: Under which conditions peaceful borders might enable the proliferation of transnational illicit flows across borders?

Author

• Arie M. Kacowicz, Hebrew University