ABSTRACT
Money laundering (ML) and terrorist financing (TF) have become a top priority on the international agenda over the past 20 years. This chapter explores the different positions and arguments so far advanced by the scholars of IR, Criminology, and Compliance on money laundering and terrorist financing. The aim is to provide a clearer analysis of what has been said so far and the main strengths and weaknesses of each discipline's arguments, in the attempt of providing a less compartmentalised understanding of the issue. The chapter examines several theoretical approaches regarding ML and TF, namely International Relations, Criminology, and Compliance, and addresses the key gaps in the critical speeches presented by each discipline. Subsequently, it moves towards promoting a more universal and multidisciplinary approach which would help to tackle the issue. The discipline of International Relations revolves around the study of complex political events that arise from the interaction between political units (actors) within the international context.
