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EFSAS Session at International Conference on Global Organized Crime

Amsterdam, 1 December 20221

On December 1, the second edition of the 24h Conference on Global Organized Crime was launched. Hosted by a consortium of the Center for Information and Research on Organized Crime (CIROC), the Standing Group on Organized Crime (ECPR-SGOC), the International Association for the Study of Organized Crime (IASOC) and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), the virtual conference brought together more than 300 speakers from 45 countries to facilitate informed discussions about the latest research in the field of global organized crime.

As an entirely virtual event, the conference facilitated exchange in times of pandemic and travel restrictions and thereby helped to stipulate conversations between academics, researchers, practitioners, students and others interested in organized crime. Around 80 sessions covered a wide range of pressing issues, with topics ranging from cybercrime to criminal governance.

EFSAS speaking at the panel session focusing on “Narco-Terrorism in South Asia”

 

EFSAS spoke in the conference with a panel session focusing on the timely issue of “Narco-Terrorism in South Asia”. The session was dedicated to exploring the overlap between organized crime groups and terrorist groups, focusing on current dynamics in the South Asian region, and the situation in Afghanistan and Myanmar in particular. EFSAS’ research analysts Lisa Dudek and Celine Burke presented their research findings and discussed drug trends like an expanding market for amphetamine-type stimulants and the importance of a functioning State-framework for drug policies that center on the human aspects of drug production.

Moderated by EFSAS research analyst Aaron Magunna, the session was filled with interesting follow-up questions about the usefulness of concepts like the crime-terror nexus and the conceptualization of organized crime and terrorist groups as separate entities, while sparking a debate about possible international responses to the current South Asian trends in drug supply. Overall, the panel session was successful in transferring knowledge derived from research on the illicit drugs industry in South Asia, and stimulated awareness and critical engagement with the topic in an international setting.

 

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