World Bank Event: Trafficking and Fragility in West Africa
Mar 19, 2014
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Center on Conflict, Security, and Development and theHive
The World Bank, Washington DC
In its 2013 threat assessment on organized crime in West Africa, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) noted that "In the interest of promoting stability, development, and peace, West Africa needs to be insulated from contraband flows entering the region". Since the early 2000s, new forms of trafficking (cocaine, amphetamines) have appeared alongside old ones (people, natural resources, firearms). Together, these flows deeply impacts local governance and development. The recent rebellion in Northern Mali, the continuing political crisis in Guinea-Bissau or the local unrest in the Niger Delta all owe something to these dynamics criminal trade networks.
This discussion will provide participants with an overview of trafficking in West Africa, its impact on fragility and possible programmatic responses to this challenge. Panelists include Anand Rajaram, Practice Leader at the World Bank, Davin O'Regan from the AfricaCenter for Strategic Studies, as well as, Vanda Felbab-Brown and Brooke Stearns Lawson from the Brookings Institution.
Speakers Bio:
Mrs. Felbab-Brown is Senior Fellow with the Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence at the Brookings Institution. She is an expert on non-traditional security threats - including organized crime and illicit economies.
Her most recent publications include "Focused Deterrence, Selective Targeting, Drug Trafficking and Organized Crime", "Political Violence and the Illicit Economies of West Africa" or "Fighting the Nexus of Organized Crime and Violent Conflict while Enhancing Human Security".
Davin O’Regan is a Research Associate at the AfricaCenter for Strategic Studies (ACSS). His research and field work focuses on transnational organized crime, narcotics trafficking and the impact of information and communications technology on political transitions and security. Prior to joining the AfricaCenter, Mr. O’Regan worked with the Civil-Military Initiative of the Office of the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs.
His latest publications include 'Advancing Stability and Reconciliation in Guinea-Bissau: Lessons from Africa's First Narco-State' or 'Cocaine and Instability in Africa: Lessons from Latin America and the Carribean.'
Brooke Stearns Lawson is a Senior Conflict Advisor on Organized Crime within USAID's Africa bureau. Her current work includes analytic research on the intersection of organized crime, particularly drug trafficking, and development in Africa. Prior to joining USAID, Mrs. Brooke was a Doctoral Fellow at the RAND Corporation. Brooke has more than fourteen years work experience in international development, relief, and reconstruction.
She recently co-published "The Development Response to Drug Trafficking in Africa" at USAID.
Please click here to follow the event via live-stream