ABSTRACT
The detrimental nature of transnational organised crime (TOC) and terrorism has deep historical roots, which makes the two issues individually well known in the political world. Less known is the nature of their interaction, giving the current research an important agenda. Lack of an adequate prior attention can be attributed to the Cold War mentality, and the importance of ‘hard security’ threats. Nation-states and international bodies, such as the United Nations and the European Union, therefore devoted more attention and resources to the issue of TOC and terrorism in the recent years.1 The US, for example, has enhanced the means and tools to address both TOC and terrorism to the extent that we can now for the first time in history speak of a global war on terror. But the global scope is not just an indication of the size of the problem, but the changing recognition of the problem that dates back to history. The problem is now manifested as one where we simultaneously have more secure states, but also failed states, unregulated global interactions, and less secure people.
