Crime, terror and the state in Central Asia

In the case of Central Asia, linkages between crime and terrorism are too complex to be explained through the framework of a ‘crime--terror nexus’. This article distinguishes locally embedded militant networks from transnational movements and demonstrates their different linkages to organised crime. Groups categorised as international terrorist actors have limited linkages to organised crime, while locally embedded groups actively seek to control both the moral order and the political economy of their locality. In most cases, however, the most productive relationship for criminal networks is with the state. This ‘state--crime nexus’ has more analytical utility than a framework that links crime to terrorism, but it suffers from a tendency to sideline other social actors. A research agenda that priorities the local dynamics of interactions between criminal networks, militant ideologies, society and the state is likely to produce more nuanced analysis than an over-reliance on these binary approaches.