Geopolitics, Statecraft and the Changing Face of Organised Crime

Organised crime no longer operates outside international politics. Criminal networks are increasingly present in spaces once associated with intelligence services, foreign policy and national security. In this edition of Global Security Briefing hosted by Cathy Heanlein, Director of Organised Crime and Policing at RUSI, we look at the blurring of boundaries between crime, statecraft and geopolitics. The discussion coincides with a new special issue of RUSI's flagship Journal on 'the Changing Face of Organised Crime'. The issue brings together leading experts to examine how crime is evolving in a period of technological disruption, geopolitical competition and profound changes in the international order. Cathy is joined by Professor Heather Marquette, Professor of Development Politics at the University of Birmingham, and Dr Magda Long, an international security researcher and consultant, to explore the following questions: How should we understand the relationship between organised crime and state power? Are criminal networks merely opportunistic actors operating in geopolitical spaces, or are they increasingly performing strategic functions for states? Is the role played by criminal networks in Russia comparable to what we see in Iran or the Western Balkans, or do different political environments produce different forms of state–crime interaction? If states such as Russia and Iran are increasingly using criminal networks to evade sanctions, acquire restricted goods or conduct covert operations, are existing laws, institutions and strategies equipped to respond?