RAND_MR1382

network a capacity to operate with confidence that disloyalty or defection are
unlikely. 15
If network cores exhibit strong collective identities, cohesion does not necessarily
enhance—and can actually reduce—the capacity to obtain information and “mobilize
resources from the environment.” Indeed,
recent trends in network analysis posit an inverse relationship, in general, between the density/intensity of the
coupling of network ties on the one hand and their openness to the outside environment on the other. 16
This explains the attraction of a two-tier structure in which the weaknesses of the core in
carrying out the functions of information acquisition are more than offset by the
periphery.
Network Peripheries
This zone features less dense patterns of interaction and looser relationships than the
core. Yet, these characteristics play a critical role in networks, exhibiting and exploiting
“the strength of weak ties.” 17 In effect, the periphery allows the network to operate at a
far greater distance—both geographically and socially—than would otherwise be the
case, facilitating more-extensive operations, more-diverse activities, and the capacity to
carry out effective intelligence collection. 18 The Cali cartel, for example, was generally
thought of as a highly centralized and structured organization. In fact, it was a
networked structure with a set of key figures at the core and a periphery that included
not only those directly involved in the processing and transportation of cocaine, but
also taxi drivers and street vendors who were an invaluable source of information at the
grass-roots level.
For criminal networks, this capacity is critical, because it allows them to anticipate and
thereby to neutralize many law enforcement initiatives. Indeed, sensitivity to both
threats and opportunities is vital to the continued functioning of criminal networks,
making them highly adaptable. In this sense, criminal networks resemble agile
corporations: The ability to obtain advance warning is complemented by a capacity for
rapid reconfiguration of internal structures and operational activities. Because they
have limited fixed assets, networks not only have limited exposure to risks but also
adapt in ways that further reduce this exposure and exploit the paths of least resistance.
Criminal Networks As Defensive Structures
If criminal networks usually have early warning mechanisms that provide the first line
of defense against law enforcement, there are also additional defensive mechanisms that
can be integrated very effectively into their network structures. As I have noted
elsewhere:
Two-tiered networks … with both core and periphery have formidable internal defense mechanisms. While it is