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Schar School in the News
Schar School’s Terrorism Center Joins International Conservation Union to Combat Wildlife and Conservation Crimes
January 19, 2021
Schar School Adds Intelligence Expert, Author, TV Commentor David Priess to Faculty
January 13, 2021
Schar School Partners with UiPath for Robotic Process Automation Initiative
January 11, 2021
Despite Life’s Daunting Challenges, Schar School Senior Cassidy Whitehurst Thrives at Mason
January 06, 2021

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Hayden Center Event - The Assault on Intelligence: After Trump (1/26)
January 26, 2021
George Hutchinson Oral Defense of Dissertation Proposal in Public Policy (1/28)
January 28, 2021
Race and Social Justice Colloquia (2/4)
February 04, 2021
Virtual Resume Clinic (2/4)
February 04, 2021
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#Biden’s inaugural address linked prosperity to civic virtue. @ScharSchool’s @StevePearlstein analyzed the address in an op-ed for the @washingtonpost. “The pluralistic ideal lies at the core of Biden’s summons to national unity.” https://t.co/UXIeUJabx4 pic.twitter.com/kMD6pffwI9

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Will the same happen to #Trump? @ScharSchool’s @jomaburt discussed #Peru’s ex-head of state being held accountable in court with @newrepublic. Peru showed “its citizens that its system of justice is capable of prosecuting even the most powerful.” https://t.co/WC5VSpUsO3 pic.twitter.com/KYH96ASO9R

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Under #Biden, America has rejoined the @WHO. @ScharSchool’s @SaskiaPopescu tells @Forbes: “I’m truly happy to see that the Biden-Harris administration has prioritized rejoining the WHO.” It’s a good signal to our global partners. https://t.co/J5uGBnNROW pic.twitter.com/ODyGFuLfyj

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

As #Biden takes office, he’s expected to issue many orders during his first 100 Days. @ScharSchool’s @MarkJRozellGMU writes in @thehill that this will “showcase that their elections resulted in meaningful and nearly immediate change.” https://t.co/hWWvrorMZR pic.twitter.com/WwRd1ZBnNP

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Is #Biden’s new #Climate team the most powerful yet? It depends. @ScharSchool’s James Pfiffner tells @nytimes that “Certainly, they can be powerful, but only to the extent that their policy area is of primary importance to the president.” https://t.co/WA9tLrY1G4 pic.twitter.com/4DGua1rqZj

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

Need to rent? Prices have dropped since March, when #COVID hit us hard. @ScharSchool’s Terry Clower tells @ARLnowDOTcom that it’s definitely due to the #pandemic. “Most of the jobs that we have lost… are typically disproportionately renters.” https://t.co/tpGg8EgTfL pic.twitter.com/pBhRYKN7Yt

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Someone go out and please tell @SenSanders that class @ScharSchool and @GeorgeMasonU don't start until Monday!
(HT @deltondaigle) pic.twitter.com/hdBtQBorir

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#Congratulations to @AndrwLight for his appointment to lead #Biden's Office of International Affairs @ Department of Energy as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Energy for International Affairs. We look forward to seeing you in the classroom when your term is over. pic.twitter.com/pvJPopfchu

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 21, 2021

As #Biden takes office in a few hours, we can look back at #Trump's "economic nationalism" as described by @ScharSchool's Kenneth Reinert @thehill. "Trump’s economic nationalism was largely empty talk. Where it involved action, it was the wrong kind." https://t.co/yh5gdWW5Ow pic.twitter.com/boOlHSxWw4

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 20, 2021

What are the pros and cons of living in a state’s capital? Ask @ScharSchool’s Katrin Anacker. Indicators include professional opportunities, affordable housing, decent transportation, infrastructure, amenities, and weather. https://t.co/5qEgUJJJ4t pic.twitter.com/OWgkGP0KNC

— Schar School (@ScharSchool) January 19, 2021
Home » News & Events » Latest News » A Classroom on Illicit Trade Turns into a Pandemic-Inspired Policy Laboratory

A Classroom on Illicit Trade Turns into a Pandemic-Inspired Policy Laboratory

By Rebecca Cooper May 18, 2020

Louise Shelley, Schar School professor and Director of the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC)In the midst of a pandemic, Schar School Professor Louise Shelley is forging a unique opportunity to teach students in her Illicit Trade class exactly how criminal groups and illicit networks are capitalizing on the instability and confusion created by crises such as COVID-19. The class was turned into a laboratory of ideas for policy recommendations to combat these illicit activities.

Students had readings on “money mules” where ordinary individuals are recruited—often unwittingly—to launder money for criminal groups. “We had discussed in class that, with so much unemployment, there will be a rise of recruitment for money mules,” said Shelley.

After researching, students soon had personal examples of individuals trying to recruit them as money mules. They were offered by e-mail or via a community news board opportunities to earn $500 weekly for “administrative work” for a “financial services office” that was expanding its business. It soon became clear that criminals were the primary actors benefitting from the pandemic and were taking advantage of the instability caused by the crisis.

At the same time, Shelley, who is founding director of the Schar School’s Transnational Crime and Corruption Center, “virtually” attended the monthly meeting of the Criminal Investigations and Network Analysis (CINA) scientific committee, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security that is hosted by George Mason University.

Participants discussed a paper under preparation on the response of criminal networks to COVID-19. In the discussions with Homeland personnel, there was great interest in the informed insights of the Schar School students on money mules, human trafficking, and the aggressive movement of crime groups into natural resource crime including illegal logging and poaching. It was agreed that the students would be credited in the analytical paper that will go on the CINA website and be provided to DHS.

The paper, entitled The Effects of the COVID-19 Response on Criminal Network Activity and Investigation, now has contributions from four students in Shelley’s class. The students’ discussions not only contributed to the analysis of the methods of online recruitment of money launderers but also the trends in human trafficking. 

The students’ professional experience—and their now trained eyes as observers of illicit trade—has made them capable of identifying and describing important trends. Despite the unconventional virtual classroom situation, students are taking advantage of the unique perspectives of the Schar School to turn life and job experience into informed policy by providing recommendations and ideas to decision makers. 

“We have taken this difficult moment and used our students’ insights to help inform national policy,” said Shelley.

Rebecca Cooper is a second year Master’s in International Security student at the Schar School. Currently, she works as a Research Assistant at TraCCC and is a Policy Fellow at the Center for Security Policy Studies (CSPS), and starting in the summer, she will work for the Transportation Security Administration in their Office of Intelligence and Analysis.

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