71 Smuggling in South Eastern Europe Krunoslav Antoliš ∗ Summary The smuggling of migrants, narcotics, and weapons are currently some of the most im- portant issues in the sphere of international crime. At the same time, they are essential to the issue of fighting terrorism. By analyzing the overall situation and the factors that encourage global terrorism, this paper argues that, apart from the risk posed by so- called rogue states, unstable states should also be a focus in efforts to combat terror- ism. The term unstable states is used here to refer to states facing many unsettled in- ternal issues, and which are likely to become a bridge or an interface for terrorists in their worldwide operations. Typical issues in unstable states (also known as “transi- tional states”) include high rates of organized crime, corruption, human trafficking, and trade in drugs and weapons; at the same time, such states are characterized by ineffi- cient legal and governance structures, and weak central state power in general. Ac- cording to this definition, a few countries in South Eastern Europe could be regarded as unstable states. A systematic effort to discover the routes used by smugglers of all kinds is needed if states are to concentrate their limited resources on solving these problems. Yet, it will only be possible to make forward progress in this respect by coordinating the ef- forts of executive, legislative, and judicial authorities in these countries, with the sup- port of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and security experts of multinational corporations that currently deal with the transportation of people and goods. 1 Profes- sional support for this effort will require the implementation of the most recent scien- tific achievements and technologically advanced methods in uncovering smugglers and their cargos. 2 The main goal of cooperative anti-trafficking and security efforts is the early detection and monitoring of all participants in a smuggling network. This achievement will create the conditions to deal with the network and its key strong- holds—both physically and virtually—and to eliminate its vital infrastructure. ∗ Dr. Krunoslav Antoliš is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Business and Economics at the University of Zagreb. All statements made in this article are solely those of the author and in no way reflect the official positions or policies of the Republic of Croatia, Croatia’s Government, or the Ministry of the Interior. 1 K. Antoliš, “Prerequisites for Systematic Fighting of Terrorism,” presentation at the confer- ence “National Security and Traffic Perspectives for the Republic of Croatia,” Croatian Par- liament, Zagreb (27–28 February 2006). 2 K. Antoliš, “Strategic Prerequisites for Partnership in Combating Terrorism,” presentation at the conference “Establishing Referent Laboratory for Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Protec- tion and System for Bio-monitoring in the Republic of Croatia,” at the Institute Ruđer Bošk- ović, Zagreb (6 June 2006).