Entering the Black Hole: The Taliban, Terrorism, and Organised Crime

• Main Authors: Matthew D. Phillips, Emily A. Kamen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: University of St Andrews 2014-09-01
• Series: Journal of Terrorism Research
• Subjects: Taliban; Organized Crime; Terrorism; Crime-Terror Nexus; Narco-Terrorism; Black Holes
• Online Access: http://jtr.st-andrews.ac.uk/articles/945

'Cooperation and imitation among crime and terror groups in recent years has given rise to a crime-terror nexus. A linear conceptualisation of a crime-terror spectrum, suggests that complete convergence of crime and terror in a failed state can give rise to a ‘black hole.’ Theoretical models of the crime-terror nexus, however, do not specify the means by which a crime-terror group enters this black hole state, yet others do not. Using the Taliban movement as a case study, this article presents a theoretical extension of black hole theory, using organisation-level characteristics to merge black hole theory with the crime-terror continuum.'