Illicit Power Structures: Overlooked Threat to a Safe and Secure Environment

1. Illicit Power Structures:Overlooked Threat to a Safe and Secure Environment Michael Dziedzic

2. How does one define safe and secure environments? Armed opposition groups responsible for political violence have largely been defeated, subordinated to legitimate government authority, or disarmed and reintegrated into society. National security forces, operating lawfully under legitimate government authority, provide a safe and secure environment for citizens. (Source: Measuring Progress in Conflict Environments)

3. What does a safe and secure environment look like? • Diminish Drivers of Conflict • Political violence diminished • Threat from ex-combatants diminished • Popular support for violent factions diminished • Use of national security forces for political repression diminished • Criminalization of national security forces diminished • External destabilization diminished

4. What does a safe and secure environment look like? Strengthen Institutional Performance • Compliance with security agreements strengthened • Performance of national security forces strengthened • Subordination and accountability to legitimate government authority strengthened • Public confidence in national security forces strengthened

5. Conflict Transformation • Diminishing the means and motivations for violent conflict • Developing more attractive, peaceful alternatives for the competitive pursuit of political and economic aspirations (Source: Quest for Viable Peace and FM 3-07)

6. Determinants of a Safe and Secure environment • Seek reliable local intelligence to guide operations and prevent harm to the peace /stabilization process • Mount framework operations in support of civil authority to find, fix, and strike against militant extremists/illicit power structures • Conduct joint military-police planning and action • Transform local security forces into contributors to peace (Source: Quest for Viable Peace and FM 3-07)

7. How is this related to other necessary aspects of stabilization?  Most conflicts are driven at least in part by illicit power structures This is routinely overlooked

8. What is an Illicit Power Structure (IPS)? The defining characteristic is exploitation of revenue derived from criminal activities to obtain and maintain power. Illicit revenue may be a means or a motivation for capturing power. IPS can either capture the state or be an armed opposition to it (both may be present, and they may collude to profit form the conflict)

9. Prominent Examples Afghanistan, Angola, Bosnia, Cambodia, Colombia, Darfur, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Southern Sudan (Cases underlined are chapters in Overlooked Enemies of Peace: Subduing Illicit Power Structures, forthcoming)

10. Implications for Civil Affairs Conduct proper assessments prior to intervention to determine whether illicit power structures are a barrier to peace and stabilization. Become proficient at integrating joint military and police planning for intelligence-led operations. Assist USIP with the development of a guide to assessment and planning for IPS.