Chapter 48: transnational organized crime Flashcards
definition
transnational criminal organizations
organized crime groups that:
- are based in one state
- commit crimes in one or several host countries, whose market conditions are favorable
- conduct illicit activities affording low risk of apprehension
effort against organized crime
only been initiated recently (end of the cold war)
- partly consequence of the need for secuity bodies and international organizations to develop new missions in the post-Cold War era
what may undermine the nation-state in the 21st century?
failure to develop viable, coordinated international policies in the face of ever growing transnational criminality
what are key factors in the growth of transnational organized crime?
7
- technological and economic explosion/boom starting in the 1960s
- geopolitical situation that has been rapidly evolving since the collapse of the socialist world
- increasingly international scope of legitimate business and the ease with which it is conducted -> mobile world population
- communication explosion (crime groups benefit from the ‘‘global village’’
- increasing economic interdependence of the world requires both licit and illicit businesses to think internationally
- lack of coordinated policy (e.g. EU + dissolution USSR -> porous borders)
- small-scale ideological wars: increase supply of narcotics + feeding trade in arms
transnational character of organized crime
crime groups are now part of the global political agenda
members link with fellow nationals living abroad -> tribal links among similar ethnic groupw in different countries may facilitate international illicit activity
Pax mafiosa?
- pax mafiosa = idea of Claire Sterling
hegemony of global international crime is exaggerated: cooperation among crime groups does enhance illicit activities, but there is not domination of a particular group: there is competition
consequences of organized crime
- undermines political structures
- undermines the world economy
- undermines social order
- instability (which in turn leads to more crime)
- undermine civil society (e.g. freedom of speech and of press)
- undermine human rights (e.g. human trafficking)
*they can also infiltrate labor unions and violate citizen labor rights
influence of transnational crime on the state
- undermines the rule of law and the legitimacy of democratic government through corruption of individuals and judicial process
- mostly successful in countries undergoing political transition to democracy (controls don’t yet function as they do in a stable democracy)
- trafficking in nuclear materials -> raising the potential for nuclear blackmail (if they become able to make nuclear weapons)
state infiltrated by transnational organized crime e.g. Italy, Colombia, some regions of Russia
influence of transnational crime on the world economy
- undermine financial security of world markets
- savings and pensions of citizens are jeopardized: banks and funds collapse because of illegal manipulation (e.g. BCCI)
international law lacks the legal enforcement power to control behavior of illicit international organizations
social consequences of transnational crime
often understated, but they have a direct influence on quality of life (e.g. drugs, prostitution)
+ indirect influence: higher price consumer goods due to extortion activities and monopoly of markets
environmental damage (as the groups are oriented toward immediate profits)
criteria for analysis crime groups
- longevity as an actor in organized and transnational crime
- stage in the country’s development during which the group moved from domestic operations to the international scene
- political structure of the host country
- economic structure of the host country
- form and strength of legal authority in the host country
- forms and variety of illicit activities
- organizational structure of the criminal group
- investment of the proceeds from organized crime
Italian organized crime
among the oldest organized crime groups
origins: crisis in state authority mid 19th century (end feudalism + decline landed aristocracy + new bourgeoisie + unification Italy) -> mafia provided protection the state couldn’t give -> symbiotic relationship between mafia and government
consist out of 4 major groups, the most important and known: Sicilian-based mafia (Cosa Nostra). crime groups based on family ties
activities: national extortion and provision of protection-> international cigarette smuggling 60s + heroin market -> cocaine trade 1980s
international character/waves: before ww2 exporting members to US, Latin America and North Africa + 60s to US, Canada, Germany and Australia (economic opportunities + escape Italy recession) + benefited from collapse socialist bloc and the unification of Europe + now also international movement
government has started crippling the mafia: by
confronting legal process, finances, ‘‘men of honor’’
Colombian organized crime
- developed in a stable democracy
- relatively young: past 20 years (when article was written)
- two main cartels: Medellin cartel (relies on violence) + Cali group (penetrates legitimate sectors + is more succesful-> predominance)
- immediately began as international organizations (cocaine etc. developed in less developed countries + mainly sold in the US and later also Europe)
- ties with Italian mafia, Nigerian mafia, Chinese Triads, eastern European and post-Soviet organized crime groups
- operate by creating a monopoly: meaning they control availability and price of narcotics
- large financing of electoral campaigns (Carlos Lehder organized a political party, this backfired: now they operate more covertly)
- leadership based on familial ties + membership not restricted to family -> expertise can be acquired if needed
- returns from the drug sales have partly gone back to Colombia (raising real estate prices), but also largely remains laundred abroad
post-soviet organized crime
- grew in a declining superpower: resources were being distributed, criminal groups invested in foreign economies and foreign banks (+ embezzled materials from the state and resold it at profit)
- involved in a full range of illicit activities (human trafficking, drugs, weapons etc.), more and more visible across the world -> now governments work together with sharing information and having joint operations
- benefited from privitization: needed a large flux of capital -> crime groups invested and exploited
- grew with the emigration of Soviet citizens + collapse Soviet state (-> freedom of mobility)
- economy became dependent on illegitimate activity + governments Commonwealth of Independent States were corrupted
- consists out of thousands of groups, of which hundreds have international ties
- former soviet union had no legal infrastructure and no law enforcement to combat the crime
- large fraud against government (incl. US and Germany)
response to transnational organized crime
diversity makes a policy response extremely difficult
any policy must address the similarities among transnational organized crime groups: organizational flexibility, adaptability to new markets, and cross-group coordination
