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The cities of Narva, Estonia and Ivangorod, Russia are separated physically by the Narva River-and by an imposing border regime. By contrast, prior to 1991 they were joined by a bridge and shared resources. Before the end of the Cold War and the independence of Estonia, Narva and Ivangorod functioned as one city, with a shared transit system, water and emergency resources. People moved freely across the border for work, family and social functions. Functionally, there was no border. Similarly, as consecutive American governments have sought to stem the tide of drugs, immigrants and terrorists, the cities of El Paso and Ciudad Juarez along the border between the United States and Mexico have been adversely affected by a border security regime that has imposed significant costs on communities that straddle the border: social, political and economic costs imposed by central governments far afield but borne by local communities. In some cases, communities have been successful at pushing back against such costs, in others less so. This is a Special Issue on the determinants of cooperation across borders. It introduces two novelties. The first is an empirical model to identify and measure determinants, their importance, role, and interaction effects. The second is to validate these variables using the level of community as a laboratory of experimentation to gauge opportunities that motivate cross-border cooperation. The articles in the Special Issue illustrate different dimensions of this model, and convey a preliminary appreciation for the ability to validate these variables in the way certain communities engage across specific borders. The ultimate objective is not just to introduce a working model, variables and method that can deployed more widely to measure determinants of cross-border cooperation, but eventually to work towards counteracting the prevailing effects of securitizing borders, and their deleterious consequences for local communities. While the securitzation of borders has received ample attention, little thought has been given to their de-securitzation. Our aim is to change that by developing a model and validating variables to identify opportunities for communities to push back through local engagement across borders. While that research goal may be some way off in the distance, this Special Issue and its articles are an initial foray into floating that research agenda, operationalizing it, and demonstrating its prospective value and payoff for communities and the study of borders alike. Over the last decade the securitization of international boundaries; the building of walls and barriers, increased surveillance and the use of technology to regulate flows across international borders has been figuring ever more prominently in scholarship on

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the link between trade-based money laundering and organized crime. Trade-based money laundering (TBML) has emerged as the newest and possibly most complex method used by organized crime and white-collar crime groups for illegally laundering money in the international financial system. Using legitimate global trade streams, criminal organizations are able to transfer billions of dollars annually between jurisdictions without having to adhere to state-level currency regulations. Design/methodology/approach Using a rational approach to understanding the behavior of criminal organizations, it is argued that TBML will continue to grow as a preferred methodology for laundering money internationally. As criminal organizations continue to be displaced from the more traditional methods of money laundering, they will look for and find TBML as a viable alternative for moving money between different jurisdictions. Findings As the methodology becomes more developed, the skill set will transfer to an increasing number of organized crime groups and be incorporated as a mainstream method for laundering and moving money. Practical implications To stay current with contemporary money laundering schemes, law enforcement agencies will have to train their investigators to spot, investigate and collect requisite evidence for successful prosecution and disruption of TBML offences. Moreover, in the absence of a global regime for sharing trade and customs information, legislators and law enforcement agencies will have to consider how to best expedite the sharing of trade and customs information. Originality/value This is the only study to address TBML as an emerging money laundering technique and the transfer of the skill between organized crime groups. It further details the skills that police investigators needs to develop to successfully combat TBML.