THE NEXUS BETWEEN CRIME AND WAR: THE PREMISES FOR UNDERSTANDING THEIR INTRICATE RELATION

Abstract

Although there was almost always a war going on somewhere on the planet, Europe has known relatively peaceful times, since the end of the World War II. All this period, in Europe, we have mainly seen crime (in its different shapes) as a main menace to societal prosperity. However, a war has the potential to produce considerably more profound effects. This is why it seems important to analyze the relation between crime and war, to see how these two factors interact, to see if they influence each other, and, if possible, to find out if there are common traits in addressing both issues. This paper analyses the relation between crime and war, starting from the observation that both crime and war have a deep impact on societies. In our quest, we will take into account different perspectives on crime and war. As regards crime and, at a larger scale, organized crime, often fighting against them has been deemed as a true war, and this adds a new dimension to the nexus between crime and war. We will analyze as well if there is a variation in the type and number of certain crimes in times of war. Overall, in this paper we will try to clarify some aspects regarding the nexus between crime and war, as a clear image on their relation is extremely important in order to identify some methods which can be used to prevent or, at least, to mitigate the effects of these two seriously impairing factors.

Keywords

• organized crime
• war;