Welcome to this weekend’s Non-State Update. It’s been another busy week in the non-state actor field, but Friday is finally here. Below is a list of some of the best news and analysis articles from this week. Like the rest of Drugs and Thugs Blog, the topics addressed are terrorism, insurgency, transnational criminal organizations, and narcotics trafficking.
Inspired, Networked and Directed-The Muddled Jihad of ISIS and Al Qaeda Post-Hebdo: First off, by Clint Watts at War on the Rocks, an analytical take on the state of the jihad movement at large. The attack last week in Paris was somehow committed by both and neither AQAP and ISIS, which exemplifies the confusing counter-terror environment that currently exists. Both groups appear to be competing and collaborating simultaneously, making the task of preventing attacks even more complicated.
AQIM Attacks Central Mali: Caleb Weiss at the Line of Steel has a piece and an accompanying map on the recent AQIM attacks in central Mali. Despite the presence of French counterterrorism troops, AQIM has continued to increase its footprint in Mali.
What Does Guerrilla Ceasefire Mean for Organized Crime in Colombia?: At InSight Crime, David Gagne has an interesting piece on how FARC’s recent unilateral ceasefire (discussed at D&TB here) will affect organized crime in Colombia. Gagne speculates that the ceasefire is being used to shift resources away from the insurgency and towards drug trafficking. The coming year in Colombia will be fascinating to watch unfold.
All the Intel You Need is Already in Cable Traffic: At Overt Action Blog, Marshall Erwin notes again the uncomfortable position that intelligence is in when trying to prevent terrorist attacks. Collection is not the problem; sifting through the data in time is. It isn’t as easy as simply “connecting the dots”.
2011: France May Have Paid AQAP $12m in Ransom: At Money Jihad, a piece on the clandestine French ransom paid in order to free three captured charity workers in Yemen back in 2011. We need to acknowledge that governments that pay these ransoms are providing funds to jihadist groups and creating a market for hostages.
This is Not Your Father’s Hezbollah: Next, a great piece at Foreign Policy by Susannah George. She reports on surprisingly in-depth conversations with Hezbollah members currently fighting against Syrian rebel groups, mainly Jabhat al Nusra. Although the organization has increased in size, there are concerns that the command and control is breaking down, mainly due to increased financial costs. How Hezbollah emerges from the Syrian Civil War will play heavily on Lebanon’s future.
Boko Haram Continues to Slaughter Nigerians: At the Long War Journal, Laura Grossman has a post and map of the current Boko Haram offensive. In 2015 alone, thousands have been killed as the militant group has overrun villages and military bases alike. Cameroon had begun bombing Boko Haram areas earlier this year, but more needs to be done to limit the organization’s violence.
“Carder” Pleads Not Guilty: At OCCRP, an interesting, if underreported, piece of news on an ongoing cybercrime trial. Jordan Georgievski, a Macedonian, has been charged with being part of a cybercrime organization that trafficked in stolen credit cards. The group has stolen roughly $50 million.
ISIS and al-Qaida are Enemies. How Can They Both Have Been Involved in the Paris Attacks?: At Slate’s The World blog, Joshua Keating tackles the complicated history of the Paris attackers and how the two dominant jihadist groups were tangentially involved. Although the two groups are competing for primacy in the jihadist propaganda space, their supporters view the goal as the same.
Ross Ulbricht Admits to Founding Silk Road-But Claims that He’s Not ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’: Finally, at Vice News, Samuel Oakford has been covering the Silk Road trial throughout the week. In this piece, he reports that Ulbricht created the site as a libertarian experiment, but sold it after it became too big for him to manage. The trial is expected to continue for another few weeks, but it does not seem likely that Ulbricht will be acquitted. Either way, Ulbricht’s creation has left a large mark on narcotics trafficking systems, one that won’t go away just from his incarceration.
Thanks for reading, and enjoy the weekend.
For comments, thoughts, concerns, criticism, or article submissions to D&TB, please comment below, email me at conormlarkin@gmail.com, or follow me on Twitter @ConorMLarkin.
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