Differences and similarities of organized crime and terrorism Name Institution

Characteristics of terrorism Act of aggression Anticipated violence Coercive aims Terrorism is on the rise in many continents. For a group to be considered a terrorist group they must be engaging in violence. A good example to explain this would be, when the government enacts polices that people do not like. Protesting on the streets in not considered terrorism but planning on how to execute members of parliament because of the policies is terrorism. Terrorism has a characteristic of being anticipated for. Many terrorist groups will plan their acts of aggressions even for years. This planning as they believe will ensure they hit their targets well (Jacobs, 1996). Every terrorist group has goals to attain. These goals are meant so as to coerce the government or other parties of interest to change certain policies (Jacobs, 1993). For example the Taliban terrorists goal is to have the US army leave Afghanistan so that they can enact their power without limitation. To get their goals heard and acted upon, terrorist groups will use create fear among people.

Characteristics of Organized crime Commit market based crimes Organized crimes are will perform criminal activities for a profit. Most organized gangs will engage in the trafficking of drugs or weapons. As the organized crime gangs are profit based, they do not get into each other’s territories (Jacobs, 1996); this means that each organized crime group has its own controlling territory. Just like any other business oriented organization, organized crimes have competition. It is up to the leaders of the groups to ensure that their group is recognized as the stronghold in the given area. Otherwise another organized criminal group will take over their territory.

Organized crime and terrorism similarities Organization Location Goal Organized crime group and terrorist groups have many things in common. According to Jacobs (1996), the groups are organized in such a way to ensure there is order. In both the groups, there are leaders who are to ensure that the course of the groups is sailing smoothly. Organized criminal groups and terrorism groups are based on in a given area. A good example is the Gambino Family; they are based in New York. The reason for this location organization is so as to ensure that the groups can be easily managed. The Taliban group is based in the Afghanistan area. Terrorism and organized crime both have goals (Jacobs, 1996). These goals are the driving force of the groups. This is because the members will need something to believe in and thus follow.

Gambino family and Taliban terrorist group comparison Organization Crimes The Gambino family is an Italian organized crimes group. The family has divided itself into small groups. According to Davis(2003), the reason for this is easier management. The small groups are headed by captains who act as figureheads. On the other hand, Taliban is based in Afghanistan. The Taliban use Islamic religion as they tool. It is headed by the ethnic men of Afghanistan. The Gambino family is associated with smuggling and sale of drugs. In its bid to maintain a good profile in its business and remain respected, the group member engages in several activities to ensure this. These includes but not limited gambling, extortion, and corrupting officials of the government. The driving force of the Taliban is the sale and smuggling of weapons. Organized criminal organization will use coercion to gain what they want. Some of the members have been arrested for robbery with violence and in some cases murder (Davis, 1993). The Taliban also inflict fear among people so as to be obeyed. They have murdered government personnel, policemen and nongovernmental workers who did not accept their rule in the country.

References Davis, J. H. (1993). Mafia dynasty: The rise and fall of the Gambino crime family. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Jacobs, J. B. (1996). Busting the mob: United states. New York: New York Univ Press.