Quote Originally Posted by marct View Post
Hmmm, maybe that's a way to distinguish them: their focus - geographic, ideological, etc.

I think that there is a difference; probably something to do with the degree of social integration of the "criminal organization". After all, the Mafia and gangs in general are really quite an accepted and integrated part of US society, whether anyone likes it or not <wry grin>. In effect, in a stable society, these groups fulfill functional requirements, i.e. they meet the needs, of a segment of the population even though the society in general has specifically said that these needs may not be met legally in that form. Usually, this is in the form of actions / needs that society has defined as "immoral".

In disorganized territories, I think we are dealing with something quite different - more of an attempt to both fulfill needs and, also, to carve out a moral sanction from the general society to do so.

Maybe we should start categorizing these groups in the following way:

  • Aim or goal - what they hope to achieve
  • Focus - geographic, ideological, "religious", economic, etc.
  • Tactical preference - e.g. terrorism, "criminal activity", IO, etc.
Marc
That was my breakdown with the idea of a TNI: once it leaves a specific geographic region (or geographic focus) it then becomes trans-national. I did have the anti-globalization folks in mind, but there are other examples (MB in a sense). One thing with a TNI - it becomes more susceptible to loosing its focused identity and concentrating on means (terrorism) more than ends (its original goals). At that point I really feel it transitions into a terrorist group.

With organized crime and the like, it may be best to think of "criminal enterprises" in an unstable region as more tactics than movements (at least initially). Some of them will clearly be attempts to make ends meet or obtain services and goods that might be otherwise unavailable, but in other cases it will be insurgent and/or terrorist groups using the activity for their own purposes (be it financial or logistics).

I like your list. It puts into words the mental methods I was using to put this construct together.