Crime & Conflict, UKR-Obs

Tomorrow’s fire: What does the future of the Ukraine conflict mean for Europe’s illicit arms market?

...In February, the war in Ukraine will enter its fourth year. It is too early to tell how the conflict will unfold in 2025, both on the battlefield and at the negotiation table. However, it is not too e...

Posted on 16 Jan 2025

Author(s): Brian Lee, Paddy Ginn

Global Organized Crime Index

Türkiye is taking steps to contain rising cases of fraud. Will they be effective?

...Financial fraud has become increasingly widespread in Türkiye, a phenomenon linked to wider technological and social trends and driven by more organized and sophisticated networks. Although there is ...

Posted on 14 Jan 2025

Author(s): Ebru Erkan

CSA-Obs

Why is Afghanistan part of the great extractives race?

...Afghanistan’s mineral resources harbour great untapped potential. The country sits on an estimated 2.2 billion tonnes of iron ore, 60 million tonnes of copper, 183 million tonnes of aluminium, and v...

Posted on 08 Jan 2025

Author(s): Marcena Hunter, Paddy Ginn

Drug Policy, UKR-Obs

Is Belarus’s strategy on drugs bearing fruit or masking reality?

...‘The work of all [drug] prevention entities is bearing fruit,’ proclaimed Lidskaya Gazeta, a media outlet run by the Belarusian state, on 20 August 2024. In an upbeat article, it heralded a declin...

Posted on 18 Dec 2024

Global Organized Crime Index

The hidden costs of China’s seafood empire

...Since 2018, global seafood consumption has doubled and is expected to double again by 2050. In response to this increased demand, the fishing industry has developed through advances in vessel design, ...

Posted on 16 Dec 2024

Author(s): Ian Urbina

SEE-Obs

South Eastern Europe Risk Bulletin #20

Observatory of illicit economies in South Eastern Europe

...Risk Bulletin Download PDF Click here to view the Global Organized Crime Index Observatory of Illicit Economies in South Eastern Europe Issue 20 December 2024 Summary highlights Loan sharking leaves p...

Posted on 10 Dec 2024

SA-Obs

Western Cape gang monitor – Issue 4

Western Cape gang monitor

...The past quarter has seen major developments relating to extortion, from the Cape Town CBD to Khayelitsha. Our monitoring team has been tracking court cases and investigating the impact of these devel...

Posted on 05 Dec 2024