Drawing on existing literature and case studies, this paper argues that checkpoints along transnational trade routes are central to conflict economies, facilitating the extraction of rents by armed groups without the need for extensive territorial control or bargaining with local populations. By focusing on the broader political economy of conflict that checkpoints interact with, the paper contributes to the emerging field of the ’politics of circulation’, offering a more nuanced understanding of how transnational trade empowers certain groups while marginalizing others in situations of conflict.
Checkpoints, transnational trade and conflict
Drawing on existing literature and case studies, this paper argues that checkpoints along transnational trade routes are central to conflict economies.