6/ What are your thoughts on the role of non-state actors in shaping the global economy? Let’s discuss! 🗣️⬇️

#Geoeconomics #Megaprojects #ArmedConflict #IllicitAuthority

5/ The key takeaway? Geoeconomic power isn’t just wielded by states & corporations—local illicit authorities can significantly influence global investments, challenging traditional power structures. ⚖️

4/ The research, based on extensive fieldwork, highlights how:

VNSAs regulate access to construction sites
Extortion payments can determine project continuation
States & corporations must engage with these actors to move forward 🚧🔄

3/ In conflict-affected territories, VNSAs like the FARC & Kachin Independence Army (KIA) don't just resist megaprojects—they negotiate, extort, & even facilitate them based on their strategic interests. 💡

2/ This study challenges state-centric narratives, showing how projects like the Hidroituango Dam (Colombia) & Myitsone Dam (Myanmar) were deeply influenced by VNSAs, reshaping both domestic & global geoeconomic goals. 🌎💰⚖️

1/ Megaprojects—massive infrastructure ventures—are often seen as symbols of state power and geoeconomic ambition. But what happens when they intersect with local illicit authorities in conflict zones? 🤔

All comms were able to make demands and even take some action, but they remained constrained by lack of organisation as well as the capacity and ideology of the different armed groups. However, all communities related current expectations of order to the precedence set by previous FARC governance.

Funnily enough, I explored this idea at the local level in Colombia. Having two actors vying for people's goodwill can force them to be more accountable (rather than when its just one). So I imagine the premise could scale up all the way to superpowers.

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....