Geopolitics and illicit economies in the South Caucasus.
Eastern Asian States Observatories on the Geopolitics and illicit economies in the South Caucasus .
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What’s driving the surge in transnational crime?
It’s not just greed — it’s the convergence of globalization, economic disparity and technological innovation. These forces allow criminal networks to expand across borders, exploit vulnerable populations and move faster than law enforcement. Understanding these drivers is key to disrupting them. Globalization Globalization has enabled criminal networks to expand across borders with greater speed and efficiency. The rise of global trade, financial liberalization and digital communications has made it easier for these groups to move goods, money and people, while exploiting gaps in jurisdiction and regulation. Europol reports there are 821 criminal networks that currently operate in or impact all 27 EU member states. Sixty-eight percent of these networks include members from multiple nationalities, with ties to 112 nationalities overall. These groups are not isolated. They are interconnected, multinational ecosystems. Europol describes this as a shift toward “borderless” or...