The Difference between Organized Crime and Terrorism

September 11, 2001 is a day that many people will never forget. It was the day that the realities of terrorism became apparent to the American public. Several movies were made to honour the heroes of that day and to remember the consequences of terrorism. However, there is more to terrorism that remains unseen in the events of this one day. How do terrorist groups operate? What other activities are they involved in when not violently killing thousands? How does organized crime differ from terrorism? Organized crime groups and terrorist groups often operate using the same methods but they differ in the motives behind their actions.

Terrorist groups and organized crime groups often appear to be similar or even the same. Terrorist groups often become involved in organized crime and organized crime groups to fund their political activities (Linden, 467). In other cases, organized crime groups may become involved in acts of terror and political struggles (Linden, 467). It is not surprising then that people may think they are the same. Furthermore, they often use similar methods and participate in similar activities. For example, when operating transnationally, both terrorist and organized crime groups often use a “network structure” (Shelley and Picarelli, 306). The network structure operates using “loosely-organized networks of cells” which provide the secrecy required to function (Shelley and Picarelli, 307). Both tend to find holes in the police network so as to not be caught (Shelley and Picarelli, 307). Another similarity is the tendency to intermingle illegal and legal proceedings and use money laundering to make them difficult to trace (Shelley and Picarelli, 308). Both are also involved in activities such as human trafficking ...

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... illegal activity among legal ones, and participate in such enterprises as drugs and human trafficking. Organized crime, however, is interested in money, whereas terrorism is politically motivated. As a result, the actions of terrorist groups are designed to send political messages, whereas organized crime operates to protect their sources of revenue. September 11 opened the eyes of the West to there realities of terroristm. After that day, United Nations conventions were held to discuss new laws for fighting terrorism (Linden, 467). Canada passed new laws which “provided new definitions for terrorism and terrorist groups” and limited the ability to finance terrorist groups (Linden, 467). These laws will also inhibit organized crime (Linden, 467). Crime organizations and terrorist groups are connected, and thus to combat one, the other needs to be combatted as well.