Case Studies

Military series

by Mark Rowe

Understanding the Impact of Militarized Responses to Organized Crime is the title of a seminar series running over the winter by the defence and security think-tank RUSI (Royal United Services Institute).

Militarised responses to crime are on the rise. Deploying national or multilateral armies, navies, airforces, or using military equipment continues to be highly prevalent in the response to crimes as diverse as human smuggling, wildlife trafficking and maritime piracy. Often employed as a ‘quick fix’ or a dominant show of force, they have produced mixed results, say seminar organisers. Visit www.globalinitiative.net/militarization.

An October seminar first heard how the argument for militarised responses has become increasingly vocal, both to protect the remaining key wildlife species, and to counter the poachers. This is increasingly resulting in an arms race between poachers and rangers, with a consequential rising death toll.

A November 12 seminar in London went over the naval response to Somali piracy, seen as one of the success stories for the militarised approach, and now proposed in other theatres, as well as for other crimes. Later seminars are:

3. Illicit Migration and Human Smuggling, 23 November 2015, 14:00, Brussels

Although illicit migration is a multi-faceted problem with a wide range of push and pull factors, responses to the current migration crisis in the Mediterranean have relied heavily on military strategies include increased naval patrols and the interdiction of boats. On land, within the Europe itself, overwhelmed transit states have deployed armies to police borders, control crowds, distribute aid.

The result appears to have become the criminalisation of migrants rather than the criminal actors facilitating their transit, with implications for human rights. These strategies also respond to the final stage of the supply chain, with little impact on migration flows. This discussion will focus on where and how military, including naval, action might be best delivered in the framework of a response to illicit migration and a exponential growth in human smuggling.

4. Drug Trafficking and the War on Drugs, 14 January 2016, 14:00, Geneva

The ‘war on drugs’ has been widely discredited for its focus on lower level operatives and the consequential result in more clandestine trafficking methods, overburdened criminal justice systems and spiralling levels of violence and corruption. Yet, many governments continue to turn to military strategies to respond to the drugs trade, in particular in times of crisis. In 2014, Bolivia and Honduras implemented legislation that allowed planes suspected of drug trafficking to be shot down by the military. In contrast, some governments are beginning to engage with alternative strategies drawing on development, public health and rule of law.

For more information, or to register for any of the discussion sessions contact:

Tuesday Reitano, Global Initiative: [email protected]

Sasha Jespersen, RUSI: [email protected]

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