'The Crime-Terror Nexus: Investigating the overlap between criminal and extremist practices, narratives and networks in Tripoli, Lebanon
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Politics
Abstract
THE RELEVANCE OF OUR RESEARCH
Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, has over the past eight years witnessed a significant increase in levels of violence. This mainly stems from the progressive merger of criminal and terrorist milieux, practices and narratives and their growing embeddedness in the marginalized districts of Qobbe, Bab al-Tebbaneh and Mankoubin. Indeed, there is a 'neighbourhood effect' at work: preliminary data we collected from the Lebanese Interior Ministry shows that out of 152 Tripolitans arrested for terrorism-related charges in 2016 and 2017 over two-thirds hailed from one of these three districts, and that the overwhelming majority were, or had been, involved in criminal activities.
This phenomenon of Islamo-gangsterism is far from unique to Tripoli - scholars and security practitioners have in fact demonstrated that between a quarter and a half of all convicted jihadis in Europe have a criminal background and hail from the marginalized neighbourhoods of large cities. The prevalence and overlap of criminal and terrorist networks in Manchester's Moss Side or Brussels' Molenbeek are a case in point of how Islamo-gangsterism can become rooted in certain sociopolitical, spatial and historical contexts. There is an urgent need to study why and how TNOC becomes rooted in deprived urban communities and increasingly intersects with terrorism, and we are using Tripoli as an example of how to address this.
THE RESEARCH QUESTION
What are the underlying factors and processes that explain how spaces such as Tripoli's Qobbe, Bab al-Tebbaneh and Mankoubin as well as, more generally, the deprived neighbourhoods of large cities (1) become the privileged milieus of TNOC and (2) turn into safe territories for crime-terror interaction?
OUR RESEARCH METHODS
Answering this question demands data on the sociopolitical, spatial and historical dimensions of TNOC's genesis, embeddedness and interaction with extremist networks in Tripolitan neighbourhoods. We will collect this by using a rigorous mixed methods research design that involves undertaking archival research, data collection, a survey of residents and qualitative interviews.
(1) Archival research: we will investigate the history of crime-terror interaction in Tripoli by retracing the rise and fall of two revolutionary groups which epitomized early forms of this phenomenon - the Organization of Anger and the Movement of the Wanted - by exploring the archives of Lebanese and Tripolitan newspapers.
(2) Data collection: we will retrieve and analyse data on terrorist and criminal convicts, as well as on Tripoli's deprived districts, from the Lebanese Interior Ministry.
(3) Survey of residents: we will explore the spatial and sociopolitical dimension of crime-terror interaction by conducting a survey of 150 residents in each of the three aforementioned districts in order to ascertain the nature and extent of local perceptions of criminal and extremist milieux, practices and narratives.
(4) Qualitative interviews: we will interview twenty well-placed observers of the crime-terror nexus in Tripoli in order to obtain additional insights and shed light on this phenomenon.
Our project uses an interpretative lens that draws upon urban sociology, contentious politics and cultural anthropology to grasp how neighbourhood dynamics, a history of dissent as well as the prevalence of narratives emphasizing humiliation and rebellion, can intersect with criminal and extremist practices.
ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS
Our project relies on sustained engagement with non-academic stakeholders at each stage of the process in order to achieve two goals: (1) to allow us to continuously reflect on whether and how findings derived from Tripoli can be applicable elsewhere (members of advisory board: Ch Supt John Denley and Antonio Sampaio) and; (2) to enhance the dissemination and outreach of our output (project partners: March, Berghof Foundation and Carnegie MEC).
Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, has over the past eight years witnessed a significant increase in levels of violence. This mainly stems from the progressive merger of criminal and terrorist milieux, practices and narratives and their growing embeddedness in the marginalized districts of Qobbe, Bab al-Tebbaneh and Mankoubin. Indeed, there is a 'neighbourhood effect' at work: preliminary data we collected from the Lebanese Interior Ministry shows that out of 152 Tripolitans arrested for terrorism-related charges in 2016 and 2017 over two-thirds hailed from one of these three districts, and that the overwhelming majority were, or had been, involved in criminal activities.
This phenomenon of Islamo-gangsterism is far from unique to Tripoli - scholars and security practitioners have in fact demonstrated that between a quarter and a half of all convicted jihadis in Europe have a criminal background and hail from the marginalized neighbourhoods of large cities. The prevalence and overlap of criminal and terrorist networks in Manchester's Moss Side or Brussels' Molenbeek are a case in point of how Islamo-gangsterism can become rooted in certain sociopolitical, spatial and historical contexts. There is an urgent need to study why and how TNOC becomes rooted in deprived urban communities and increasingly intersects with terrorism, and we are using Tripoli as an example of how to address this.
THE RESEARCH QUESTION
What are the underlying factors and processes that explain how spaces such as Tripoli's Qobbe, Bab al-Tebbaneh and Mankoubin as well as, more generally, the deprived neighbourhoods of large cities (1) become the privileged milieus of TNOC and (2) turn into safe territories for crime-terror interaction?
OUR RESEARCH METHODS
Answering this question demands data on the sociopolitical, spatial and historical dimensions of TNOC's genesis, embeddedness and interaction with extremist networks in Tripolitan neighbourhoods. We will collect this by using a rigorous mixed methods research design that involves undertaking archival research, data collection, a survey of residents and qualitative interviews.
(1) Archival research: we will investigate the history of crime-terror interaction in Tripoli by retracing the rise and fall of two revolutionary groups which epitomized early forms of this phenomenon - the Organization of Anger and the Movement of the Wanted - by exploring the archives of Lebanese and Tripolitan newspapers.
(2) Data collection: we will retrieve and analyse data on terrorist and criminal convicts, as well as on Tripoli's deprived districts, from the Lebanese Interior Ministry.
(3) Survey of residents: we will explore the spatial and sociopolitical dimension of crime-terror interaction by conducting a survey of 150 residents in each of the three aforementioned districts in order to ascertain the nature and extent of local perceptions of criminal and extremist milieux, practices and narratives.
(4) Qualitative interviews: we will interview twenty well-placed observers of the crime-terror nexus in Tripoli in order to obtain additional insights and shed light on this phenomenon.
Our project uses an interpretative lens that draws upon urban sociology, contentious politics and cultural anthropology to grasp how neighbourhood dynamics, a history of dissent as well as the prevalence of narratives emphasizing humiliation and rebellion, can intersect with criminal and extremist practices.
ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS
Our project relies on sustained engagement with non-academic stakeholders at each stage of the process in order to achieve two goals: (1) to allow us to continuously reflect on whether and how findings derived from Tripoli can be applicable elsewhere (members of advisory board: Ch Supt John Denley and Antonio Sampaio) and; (2) to enhance the dissemination and outreach of our output (project partners: March, Berghof Foundation and Carnegie MEC).
Planned Impact
THE BENEFITS OF OUR RESEARCH
As the first truly interdisciplinary and empirical research into the making of Islamo-gangsterism in the marginalized neighbourhoods of Tripoli, our project will bring two key benefits to non-academic stakeholders and users of research:
(1) It will provide new knowledge on the crime and terror landscape of Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, which remains an enigma not just to the public but also to policymakers and practitioners. The data and networks generated by this project will facilitate the work of Lebanese and international NGOs and donors interested in launching initiatives and projects in Tripoli, thus contributing to its medium-term development.
(2) It will shed ethnographic insights into how the crime-terror nexus works from below. This is a crucial issue with relevance beyond Tripoli, as the neighbourhoods of Manchester, Brussels, Paris and Birmingham have also become home to the phenomenon of Islamo-gangsterism. Our research will stimulate discussion amongst the UK community of security practitioners and social workers by pointing to the need to design policies built around more effective neighbourhood engagement.
ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS
To ensure that our project delivers clear benefits for the users of the research, it builds on sustained collaboration with two types of stakeholders:
(1) Members of our Advisory Board: John Denley, Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of the Regional Organized Crime Unit for the West Midlands, and Antonio Sampaio, who heads the urban violence programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Engaging with them at the implementation and dissemination stages will allow us to reflect critically on whether and how lessons derived from the crime-terror nexus in Tripoli can be applied elsewhere, for example in the UK.
(2) Our Project Partners in Lebanon: March, a Lebanese civil society organization leading counter-extremism initiatives in Tripoli's deprived districts; the Berghof Foundation, an international NGO which runs dialogue and empowerment sessions in Tripoli; and the Carnegie Middle East Center, Lebanon's most influential think tank and advocacy group.
Engaging with them at the implementation and dissemination stages will allow us to exert community-level impact, policy and programming impact, and public-level impact as detailed below.
COMMUNITY-LEVEL IMPACT
The two informal workshops co-organized with our Project Partners in Lebanon will have a community-level impact by empowering local civil society actors and community members to raise awareness of TNOC, and to resist its appeal and effects. The workshops will also create and consolidate a network of activists committed to building human security from below, thus setting up local channels of communication that will allow for effective knowledge exchange and regular contact amongst stakeholders. Once these channels of communication are open, it is envisioned that they will be self-sustaining.
POLICY AND PROGRAMMING IMPACT
The two formal workshops co-organized with our Project Partners in Lebanon will bring together top scholars as well as leading Middle Eastern and European practitioners of the crime-terror nexus in Beirut. The workshops will be translated into English and Arabic and, given the Carnegie Middle East Center's highly influential networks of contacts and outreach capacities, are expected to maximize policy effect. We will also publish a Carnegie Paper in both English and Arabic that will disseminate our recommendations to practitioners.
PUBLIC-LEVEL IMPACT
We will produce a documentary film in order to raise awareness and help change public perceptions of TNOC. It will give a voice to the citizens of Tripoli, enabling them to express how their lives have been impacted by TNOC. This is a unique way of exerting an impact on Lebanese and transnational audiences. The film will be made available online for free.
As the first truly interdisciplinary and empirical research into the making of Islamo-gangsterism in the marginalized neighbourhoods of Tripoli, our project will bring two key benefits to non-academic stakeholders and users of research:
(1) It will provide new knowledge on the crime and terror landscape of Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, which remains an enigma not just to the public but also to policymakers and practitioners. The data and networks generated by this project will facilitate the work of Lebanese and international NGOs and donors interested in launching initiatives and projects in Tripoli, thus contributing to its medium-term development.
(2) It will shed ethnographic insights into how the crime-terror nexus works from below. This is a crucial issue with relevance beyond Tripoli, as the neighbourhoods of Manchester, Brussels, Paris and Birmingham have also become home to the phenomenon of Islamo-gangsterism. Our research will stimulate discussion amongst the UK community of security practitioners and social workers by pointing to the need to design policies built around more effective neighbourhood engagement.
ENGAGEMENT WITH STAKEHOLDERS
To ensure that our project delivers clear benefits for the users of the research, it builds on sustained collaboration with two types of stakeholders:
(1) Members of our Advisory Board: John Denley, Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of the Regional Organized Crime Unit for the West Midlands, and Antonio Sampaio, who heads the urban violence programme at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.
Engaging with them at the implementation and dissemination stages will allow us to reflect critically on whether and how lessons derived from the crime-terror nexus in Tripoli can be applied elsewhere, for example in the UK.
(2) Our Project Partners in Lebanon: March, a Lebanese civil society organization leading counter-extremism initiatives in Tripoli's deprived districts; the Berghof Foundation, an international NGO which runs dialogue and empowerment sessions in Tripoli; and the Carnegie Middle East Center, Lebanon's most influential think tank and advocacy group.
Engaging with them at the implementation and dissemination stages will allow us to exert community-level impact, policy and programming impact, and public-level impact as detailed below.
COMMUNITY-LEVEL IMPACT
The two informal workshops co-organized with our Project Partners in Lebanon will have a community-level impact by empowering local civil society actors and community members to raise awareness of TNOC, and to resist its appeal and effects. The workshops will also create and consolidate a network of activists committed to building human security from below, thus setting up local channels of communication that will allow for effective knowledge exchange and regular contact amongst stakeholders. Once these channels of communication are open, it is envisioned that they will be self-sustaining.
POLICY AND PROGRAMMING IMPACT
The two formal workshops co-organized with our Project Partners in Lebanon will bring together top scholars as well as leading Middle Eastern and European practitioners of the crime-terror nexus in Beirut. The workshops will be translated into English and Arabic and, given the Carnegie Middle East Center's highly influential networks of contacts and outreach capacities, are expected to maximize policy effect. We will also publish a Carnegie Paper in both English and Arabic that will disseminate our recommendations to practitioners.
PUBLIC-LEVEL IMPACT
We will produce a documentary film in order to raise awareness and help change public perceptions of TNOC. It will give a voice to the citizens of Tripoli, enabling them to express how their lives have been impacted by TNOC. This is a unique way of exerting an impact on Lebanese and transnational audiences. The film will be made available online for free.