Towards an assessment of organised crime networks as parallel sovereignties

The document proposes a new analytical framework for understanding organised crime, suggesting that criminal networks act as 'parallel sovereigns' that exercise authority in spaces neglected by formal institutions. It argues that the global neoliberal market has replaced the state as the primary referent of sovereignty, allowing criminal networks to commoditise influence and political connectivity to integrate themselves into governance.

• The traditional distinction between 'state' and 'non-state' actors is a false dichotomy that fails to account for the reality of organised crime, where criminal networks often overlap with or are indistinguishable from state power.
• Sovereignty should be viewed as a dynamic practice and an aspiration rather than a fixed attribute of the state, meaning multiple, overlapping sovereignties can exist simultaneously across sub-national, national, and transnational contexts.
• The global neoliberal market has emerged as the primary 'meta-sovereign', de-territorialising state power and allowing any group that can monopolise a part of the market to acquire partial sovereignty.
• Criminal networks have expanded beyond traditional smuggling to commoditise non-traditional assets, such as political connections and influence, which they use to embed themselves in governance.
• Criminal sovereigns often establish themselves in 'vacuums' or spaces abandoned by formal public and private institutions, creating symbiotic relationships with local communities that hinder the return of formal governance.
• Case studies illustrate the integration of crime and state power: in Colombia, over 50% of the national legislature supported the cocaine industry by 2001; in Zimbabwe, the ZANU-PF party used Marange diamond fields to consolidate power; and in Nigeria, counterfeiters in the Oluwole neighbourhood of Lagos commoditise statehood.

APA

Torkelson, E. (2014). Towards an assessment of organised crime networks as parallel sovereignties. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief59Eng.pdf

Chicago

Torkelson, Erin. Towards an assessment of organised crime networks as parallel sovereignties. Institute for Security Studies, 2014. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief59Eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Torkelson |first1=Erin |title=Towards an assessment of organised crime networks as parallel sovereignties |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=August 2014 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief59Eng.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{torkelson2014towards, author = {Torkelson, Erin}, title = {{Towards an assessment of organised crime networks as parallel sovereignties}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/PolBrief59Eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }