Publication

The relationship between violence, illicit trade, and the onset, continuation and ending of conflict is complex, unpredictable and constantly conditioned by the interplay of domestic and international interests and power realignments. It brings a dramatic transformation of existing social structures, rendering traditional state boundaries, both territorial and structural, meaningless and introducing a different setting in which the ability to control violence leads to empowerment, while the ability to adapt one's normative perceptions, attitudes and beliefs secures survival. This leaves a lasting impact on societies, allowing the ethos, social relations and power balances established during conflict to persist long after the war has formally ended.