Vol. 2 No. 2 (2026): Derecho en Sociedad
ARTICLES

The link between political Islam and illicit economies: reconfiguring geopolitical power and hybrid actors in the Levant (2020–2024)

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  • Brayan Acuña Obando
DOI: https://doi.org/10.63058/des.v2i2.386

Published 2026-09-29

Keywords

  • Political Islam,
  • Illicit economies,
  • Mediterranean Levant,
  • Hybrid actors,
  • Geopolitics

How to Cite

Acuña Obando, B. (2026). The link between political Islam and illicit economies: reconfiguring geopolitical power and hybrid actors in the Levant (2020–2024). Derecho En Sociedad, 2(2), 77p – 98p. https://doi.org/10.63058/des.v2i2.386

Copyright (c) 2026 Derecho en Sociedad

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Abstract

This article analyzes the convergence between political Islam and illicit economic structures in the Mediterranean Levant, examining how this link has reconfigured regional power balances between 2020 and 2024. The study is based on the premise that organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas have transcended their roles as resistance movements to consolidate themselves as hybrid actors that articulate parallel governance, armed coercion, and systematic participation in transnational smuggling and drug markets, notably the Captagon trade.

Methodologically, a qualitative comparative documentary analysis is employed, focusing on the scenarios of Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, under a tripartite theoretical framework that integrates structural realism, complex interdependence, and constructivism. The results reveal that the integration of underground economies not only provides financial autonomy from state sponsors but is also legitimized through doctrinal reinterpretations of concepts such as maslaha (public interest), allowing criminal pragmatism to be integrated into the narrative of ideological survival.

It is concluded that the strengthening of these networks critically erodes state sovereignty and complicates conflict resolution efforts by blurring the boundaries between political militancy and transnational organized crime.

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