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In 1994, the second full year of Demokratizatsiya's publication, I analyzed the impact of organized crime on the development of post-Soviet states in an article entitled 'Post-Soviet Organized Crime: Implications [...]

In 1994 Demokratizatsiya published its first issue on organized crime and corruption. The issue, a compendium of Russian and American authors, focused on the severity of the problem and its [...]

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The criminal elements of the Russian economy in the 1990s are examined. Topics include character profiles of corrupt businessmen with homes in the US and Mexico, capital flight from Russia, the ubiquitous extent of corruption, and the desperate plight of the common worker., Rich Russians fill the first class lounge on the Moscow to New York Delta flight. Volodia, in his mid-twenties, dressed in an Armani suit with ample weighty gold jewelry around [...]

Editor's Introduction The following section on the Caucasus was produced by the Strengthening Democratic Institutions Project of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. A seminar series [...]

Organized crime and endemic corruption threaten the stability of Ukraine and undermine its transition to a market economy. The indigenous crime problem of Ukraine is significant, but the problems are [...]

This article examines two case studies that illustrate how two different types of actors were involved in a cigarette smuggling-terror nexus. The first case examines R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company's alleged deliberate sales of its products in lraq in contravention of the UN embargo and U.S. law. R.J. Reynolds used criminal actors as suppliers and provided financial compensation to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a recognized terrorist organization, and Uday Hussein (Saddam Hussein's son) to facilitate this transport. The second case examines a Hezbollah cell operating out of Charlotte, North Carolina. The cell trafficked cigarettes from North Carolina to Michigan, reaping significant profits by exploiting the difference in cigarette tax rates between the two states. The two case studies revealed that terrorist financing occurs in the United States and as a result of the actions of a terrorist support cell and a U.S.-based company. In both cases, a legitimate commodity was used for illicit purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The essay examines the networks that facilitate the transport of nuclear materials from the source to their possible purchasers. Analyzing the role of prisons in criminal operations, the interaction of criminals and terrorists, and the character of new organized crime groups, the author concludes that some of the most serious nuclear smuggling is not random or opportunistic. Rather, the most serious trafficking is rarely detected because it is run by professionals whose well established smuggling networks, facilitated by corruption, have the capacity to move significant quantities of diverse contraband without apprehension. Technical solutions to address this problem are not sufficient because detectors cannot identify well guarded HEU. Rather, much more attention needs to be paid to the crime and terror networks that can facilitate this trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transnational organized crime and corruption are topics that security planners are increasingly visiting in their analyses of terrorism, most often examining how terrorism and transnational organized crime intersect and diverge. Clarifying these relationships is vital to approaching the current turbulence in global politics. This article examines the relationships between these two entities to arrive at the conclusion that transnational criminal organizations and terrorist groups often adopt similar methods, they are inherently striving for divergent ends. Crime is primarily an economically driven enterprise, while terrorism remains rooted in political pursuits. While we note that such a relationship results in a number of consequences for policymakers and practitioners from both the US and the larger global community, an important conclusion we revisit throughout the article is the need for scholarly research on this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses issues about organized crime and corruption in Russia in 2002. Implications of the murder of Valentin Tsvetkov, governor of Magadan, Moscow in October 2002; Comparison of organized crime with other countries; Limitations to the state's ability to fight organized crime.

Examines the political-criminal nexus (PCN) in Russia and the Ukraine. Causes of the PCN; Origins of the relationships between the political and economic elites and crime groups in Russia and Ukraine; Impact of the PCN in both countries on the electoral and legislative process; Effect of PCN on privatization, banking and finance markets and foreign investment; Vulnerabilities of PCN; Government and private sector techniques in identifying vulnerabilities.

Focuses on organized crime in the former Soviet Union. Growth in organized crime; Impact on foreign investment and trade; Smuggling of radioactive materials; Threat posed by organized crime on daily life of residents of the former Soviet Union.

An excerpt from the paper "Organized Crime and Corruption: Security Threats," by Louise I. Shelley is presented.

The paper provides an overview of the development of the Soviet militsiia (regular police) and its present structure, organization and functions. The paper concludes that the nature of Soviet policing differs from that of western democratic societies. Policing is a state monopoly; the militsiia closely controlled by the party with minimal input from the citizenry. Its responsibilities are broader and it is more intrusive into the daily life of the population. Since the revolution, the militsiia has had three primary functional areas—social, economic and political control. The functions of the militsiia have changed with the development of the Soviet state. The political responsibilities have receded but remain more important than in democratic societies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An excerpt from the article "The Price Tag of Russia's Organized Crime," by Louise I. Shelley is presented.