October 30, 2008

Read these articles in Russian here.

Featured topics in this issue: Globalization of Organized Crime

Globalization and Organized Crime

Without a doubt globalization has integrated and transformed the world, unfortunately one of its greatest beneficiaries became organized crime.

The Evolution of International Crime

Whereas prior to the 1970s criminal groups operated strictly along ethnic lines, during the1980s these groups began to actively cooperate with one another. The arrival of 1990’s unleashed a truly globalized criminal network.

The Global Criminal Enterprise

There are five major sectors of illegal business under the thumb of organized crime, according to some FBI estimates they amount to approximately one trillion dollars annually.

The Russian Mafia

Interview with Louise Shelley, professor of George Mason University and author of many books on organized crime. She discusses the strength of the Russian Mafia and whether it poses a threat to the United States. 

Relationship: Crime and the Economic Crisis

How does the state of the economy effect crime rates? On one hand, a bad economy is always bad for business, no matter whether it’s legal or illegal. On the other hand, faced with economic hardship, more people could be driven to commit crime. Experts debate the issue and present evidence to support their claims.

The U.S. Criminal Justice System

A comprehensive overview of the U.S. criminal justice system, the rights awarded to the defendant and the responsibilities and jurisdictions of various government agencies responsible for bringing criminals to justice.