The Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University announced on Mar. 9 the launch of the Corruption, Networks, and Transnational Crime Research Center (CONTRA), a new research hub focused on advancing the study of transnational crime.
The creation of CONTRA addresses what the school describes as one of today’s most urgent global challenges: understanding and combating transnational crime and its effects on global order. The center brings together faculty with expertise in multiple disciplines to investigate these complex issues.
Led by codirectors Professor Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Professor Naoru Koizumi, and Distinguished University Professor Janine Wedel, CONTRA aims to combine empirical insights with diverse methodological approaches. “CONTRA presents a great opportunity to nurture cutting-edge scholarship on topics of crucial import to the future of democracy and security,” said Wedel. Correa-Cabrera said, “This is such a great opportunity to contribute to the study of different forms of transnational crime and illicit networks from an interdisciplinary perspective and using complex methodologies in the areas of data analysis and machine learning. Working with Janine and Naoru, this will be possible.” Koizumi added that she looks forward to “learning from each other, collaborating with more faculty, and furthering this important area of international security research.”
The new center builds upon the legacy of the Schar School’s Terrorism, Transnational Crime, and Corruption Center (TraCCC), which was founded by Louise I. Shelley as the first academic center in the United States devoted to exploring links among terrorism, transnational crime, and corruption.
CONTRA will begin its public programming with a conference titled “From Cartels to Combatants: The Intense Militarization of America’s Drug War” scheduled for Monday, March 23 at Mason Square. The event will examine how designating transnational criminal organizations as Foreign Terrorist Organizations impacts legal, diplomatic, operational, and strategic considerations. The conference is free but requires registration.
