Criminals, Militias, and Insurgents: Organized Crime in Iraq

The author surveys organized crime in Iraq, including the theft, diversion, and smuggling of oil, kidnapping, extortion, car theft, and stealing antiquities. He considers corruption in facilitating and strengthening organized crime and shows how al-Qaeda in Iraq, Jaish-al-Mahdi, and the Sunni tribes used crime to fund violence. His analysis also emphasizes the requirement for a holistic or comprehensive strategy in which security, development, and the rule of law complement one another. PHIL WILLIAMS is currently Visiting Research Professor, Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, and Professor of International Security in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. (Originally published by the Strategic Studies Institute)