A transformation from political to criminal violence? Politics, organised crime and the shifting functions of Haiti's urban armed groups

Datos Bibliográficos

ID5680656
AutoresMoritz Schuberth (0000-0003-0924-1911, autor de correspondencia)
Año2015
Volumen15
Número2
Páginas169-196
Fecha de publicación2015-03-15
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaConflict Security and Development (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1467-8802 • E-ISSN: 1478-1174
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14678802.2015.1030950
OpenAlexW1578839599
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas20
Referencias citadas73

In 2004, an unlikely combination of rural insurgent groups and urban gangs fought over the fate of President Aristide and brought Haiti to the brink of civil war. Ten years on, the country is still plagued by instances of armed violence. While most policy experts and practitioners seem to agree that over the last decade, violence transformed from a political into a criminal phenomenon, scholars remain divided over the question of whether Haiti's urban armed groups should be framed as a political movement or as hardened criminals. Drawing on semi-structured interviews and overt observation conducted during six months of fieldwork in Haiti in 2013, this article argues that it is crucial to refocus the analysis on the functions gangs fulfil on behalf of their politico-criminal sponsors. In contrast to the proclaimed internal shift from political to criminal motivation, this approach suggests that the constantly changing priorities of political entrepreneurs and organised crime groups shape the nature of the violent service offered by urban armed groups. The findings of this article mirror comparable dynamics in other countries in Latin America or sub-Saharan Africa and have crucial implications for international agencies working in the urban environment and dealing with urban armed groups

Criminology · Latin Americans · Organised crime · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Spanish Civil War · Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance · Law · Natural Resources and Economic Development · Peacebuilding and International Security