Deconstruction of organised crime and research of war victimisation
There are many indications that various aspects and factors of large-scale war victimization could be made visible through the collection and analyses of data on organized crime in post-conflict societies. War victimisation could be understood as an outcome of opportunistic criminal activit...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Victimology Society of Serbia and University of Belgrade, Faculty of Special Education and Rehabilitation
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Temida |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doiserbia.nb.rs/img/doi/1450-6637/2024/1450-66372401007S.pdf |
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| Summary: | There are many indications that various aspects and factors of large-scale
war victimization could be made visible through the collection and analyses
of data on organized crime in post-conflict societies. War victimisation
could be understood as an outcome of opportunistic criminal activity: war
conditions offer the unique opportunity to criminals and criminal groups
(especially those involved in military or paramilitary formations) not only
to restrain their destructive personal potentials but also to attain a new
identity as ’national heroes’ and gain a significantly better economic
position as advantageous ’investments’ to post-war criminal business. Crimes
in war as well as war crimes, often perceived as basically launched by
nationalistic (‘blood and belonging’) ideology, could be examined from a
broader hypothetical framework: nationalist ideologies should be considered
not only as drives but also as means. By identifying themselves primarily as
members of a specific nation who ’defend’ (or victimize) a specific ethnic
group, criminals of war provide not only the legitimization of crimes
against other nations/ethnic groups but also of crimes against (primarily
political) opponents within their ethnic group. The main aim of this paper
is to argue for research on the continuity of organised criminal activities
before, during and after ethnic conflicts in the Former Yugoslavia. This
kind of research is argued to be a promising tool for the assessment of
links between war and organized crime victimization as a way of getting a
more comprehensive picture of the recent past. Research findings may further
be used as the basis for creating comprehensive regional security
strategies. Moreover, although the focus of this paper is on organised crime
committed during the wars on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, its
analyses and conclusions may be applicable to other similar contexts,
including contemporary armed conflicts in different parts of the world. |
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| ISSN: | 1450-6637 2406-0941 |