Trouble in Paradise. Crime and Collapsed States in the Age of Globalization

Among the many challenges of the post-Cold War is transnational crime, which has become an integral part of the private accumulation strategies of some public officials, entrepreneurs and ordinary citizens, in addition to professional criminals. This article examines the institutional foundations of contemporary criminality. Its chief contention is that the so-called failed or collapsed state is the principal actor in the criminalization of the world economy, while globalization itself is an unwitting but pre-eminent member of the supporting cast. Among the proposed remedies is a call for a greater role for international institutions, such as the United Nations and Interpol, in the fight against global criminality and a reconsideration of the notion of sovereignty.