This Mass Atrocity was Brought to You by the Ivory Trade: Linking Transnational Organized and International Crimes

Abstract

Scant attention has been paid to the relationship between the perpetration of transnational organized crimes (toc s) and international crimes. This paper endeavours to instigate increased scrutiny of how these two crime sets interact. Relying on contributions from conflict and peace studies, I argue that it is useful to study their interaction within an international-transnational crime complex. To elaborate, I explore four conflicts in which an international-transnational crime complex is evident: Kosovo, Sierra Leone, northern Uganda, and Syria. Taken together, these cases demonstrate that these crimes types are linked irrespective of geographic location or the type of actors involved. The paper subsequently explores legal responses available to actors, including the International Criminal Court and specialized domestic units, which could link the prosecution and prevention of toc s and international crimes. The paper concludes with some reflections on the need to further interrogate—in both legal practice and scholarly work—international-transnational crime complexes.