The accelerated trend of globalization has transformed the traditional role of the state. According to James Mittelman and Robert Johnston, the state is engaged in a courtesan role, which consists in shifting from serving citizens to acting as tacit partners in market relations, including with globally organized criminal groups. Building on the concept of the courtesan role of the state, this study addresses: (a) the general question of direct and indirect connections of states with illicit transactions in the post-Cold War, with a special attention to arms trafficking; (b) the reaction of the United States, as the remaining unique superpower, to the behavior of states associated with global illicit transactions, especially when involving security-sensitive cases such as arms transfer; (c) the security implications of this particular feature of the global illicit economy, particularly how threats are defined in international politics in the post-Cold War unipolar world. Focusing on the Argentina venta de armas case of illicit arms transfer to the Balkans and Ecuador in the 1990s, the research explores (a) the structural conditions and the domestic roots of a state engaged in illegal transactions in the post-Cold War; (b) the superpower's reaction to policies involving illicit transactions; (c) the security consequences. Through these venues, the dissertation aims at refining the debate in IR Theory to provide a better understanding of the international security dynamics in the post-Cold War.

Thesis advisor: Alejandro Olayo-Méndez / To what extent have the policies implemented by the Mexican government since 2006 against the War on Drugs further fueled social violence? What have been the effects of violence on security, citizenship well-being, displacement, and human rights? This thesis examines how the pervasive violence in Mexico, despite being overwhelmingly visible recently, has been embedded into the system since long before. Mexico experiences different approaches to violence: ordinary, structural, and drug violence. The research question and my contribution are illustrated from four different perspectives, based on the various types of violence that exist in the country: intercartel, government-cartel, cartel-citizens, and government-citizens. After conducting a case study analysis of specific events throughout the last three presidential administrations, a recurring pattern shows that despite the differences in political background, violence continues to be aggravated through a similitude in strategy. Government officials should take meaningful action to address the security needs of citizens – despite the presence of violence – and consider policy changes that focus on providing safety and well-being. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2021. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: International Studies.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This thesis argues that the building of the democratic institutions in new democracies was and still is a painstaking task. It shows that the new institutions are fragile and at times unable to cope with powerful organized criminal syndicates, rampant corruption, illegalism, elite bureaucratic cartels, and weak judicial systems still in the process of post communist reconstruction. This thesis proceeds from the premise that organized crime constitutes a threat to democracy, in particular a serious threat to new democracies and subsequently to the national security of the country. The first section defines organized crime as phenomena corroding the democratic institutions. It deals in particular with the fragility of the new democratic institutions focusing mainly on the organized crime activities that threaten the national security. It tackles problems of corruption in government and law enforcing agencies. Secondly, it considers issues of merging of crime and legal business and their impact on the institutions and society at large. Thirdly and most importantly it focuses on the fact that organized crime merges with the State machinery, thus undermining the very existence of democratic institutions. Fourthly, it looks into some forms of criminal activities such as drug business, weapons trade, money laundering, and white-slave trade. Finally it provides some policy recommendations for tackling the organized crime in Albania. / MP, Parliament of the Republic of Albania

Företeelser som organiserad brottslighet är bland de högsta prioriterade säkerhetsutmaningarna för Sverige, EU och FN. Majoriteten av dödsskjutningarna med koppling till gängkriminalitet i Sverige sker med illegala vapen, och trots Sveriges strikta vapenlagar finns det en ökad trend vad gäller vapensmuggling som även observerats som ett problem på europeisk nivå. Kriminella nätverk utför vapensmuggling över internationella landsgränser där sociala relationer är av vikt för den organiserade verksamhetens upprätthållande. För att förebygga smuggling av vapen är det därför centralt att kartlägga nätverk samt hur relationer och strukturer bidrar till att sprida information och varor, vilket kan utföras genom social nätverksanalys. Kunskapsläget kring vapensmugglingsnätverk är svåröverskådligt och det finns ett fåtal systematiska litteraturöversikter som inkluderar vapensmuggling med applicerad social nätverksanalys som metod. Den aktuella studien ämnar därför, med hjälp av en kvalitativ systematisk litteraturöversikt på kvantitativ data, ge samlad förståelse över vapensmugglingens dynamik och struktur som vidare kan användas som stöd i vidare forskning. Den systematiska litteraturöversikten inkluderar elva vetenskapliga artiklar som använt social nätverksanalys på vapensmuggling. Resultat visar att nätverken är dynamiska, och att strukturen avgörs av olika kombinationer av mönster och aktörer. Fyra olika former av struktur har identifierats i nätverken. Kunskapen om nätverkens olika strukturer kan vidare bidra till att identifiera centrala sårbarheter, vilket kan användas vid riktade insatser på centrala aktörer eller kluster inom nätverket vid illegala inflöden av vapen. / The phenomena of organized crime is one of  the highest priority security challenges for Sweden, the EU, and the UN. The majority of shootings with an outcome of death in Sweden involve illegal weapons. Despite Sweden's strict gun laws, there is an increasing trend in arms trafficking, which has also been observed as a problem at a European level. Criminal networks conduct arms trafficking across international borders, where social relationships are crucial for maintaining organized activities. To prevent arms trafficking, it is therefore essential to map criminal networks and how relationships, as well as structures  contribute to the distribution of information and goods. This can be achieved through social network analysis. The current level of knowledge regarding arms trafficking networks is challenging to overview, and there are few systematic literature reviews that include firearm trafficking with applied social network analysis as a method. Therefore, this study aims, through a qualitative systematic literature review of quantitative data, to provide an extensive understanding of the dynamics and structure of arms trafficking, which can further be used to support future research. The systematic literature review includes eleven scientific articles that have applied social network analysis as a method to the phenomena arms trafficking. The results show that the networks are dynamic and that their structure is determined by various combinations of patterns and actors. Four different forms of structure have been identified within the networks. Knowledge of the different structures of these networks can further contribute to identifying central vulnerabilities, which can be used in targeted interventions on key actors or clusters within the network concerning illegal weapons inflows.