Transnational organized crime is an interesting topic and one that I have enjoyed discussing in class. I appreciate that Williams mentions that this “is a not a new phenomenon” as he discusses the mafia in Italy and the FARC in Colombia. He argues that transnational organized crime exist as these groups take advantage of “capacity gaps and functional holes” as we discussed briefly in class on Tuesday. I would agree that is it not a new phenomenon and that they affect first-world countries as well as developing countries.
Are these organizations a threat to the state? This is a difficult question to answer. Many would argue that they undermine the authority of the state just by their existence because they are outside of the control of the authority, and authority is aligned with sovereignty. These organizations are taking advantage of loopholes in a state’s justice and legal system and profiting from it. So yes, in this instance they can be considered a threat to the state. However, we also discussed how these organizations often provide resources for the communities where they are doing business in ways that the state cannot. For example, providing someone a job that is in dire need, no matter if it breaks the law or not because their family is at risk. It could also be said that this is a form of exploitation, in that people are so desperate they will do anything for money and the TOCs are aware of that.
I think it’s easy from a first-world perspective to criticize these organizations as completely evil and a disruption of the state’s authority. However, if I were the position of many citizens of these developing countries where these organizations offered employment and my family was dependent on this then I would be thankful for them. I do not agree with their methods of being outside the law and or any other methods that are exploitative but I do not think that many countries would provide necessary social services if these organizations disappeared. We also see these gaps being filled by NGOs and not the state, so it’s not only these organizations that question the state’s authority.
Jessica - I think you ask a key question for this week: Are these organizations a threat to the state? I do think that they will undoubtedly undermine the state's authority but the better question is it good to undermine the state's authority?
ReplyDeleteYour example of offering jobs is an excellent one for us to discuss more in our class conversations as it is so relevant to the hot topics in politics today regarding undocumented immigrants. Would the negative organizations you mentioned (human trafficking, sex trafficking, etc.) be less prominent here if we were more effective at giving people jobs that sustained them?
Katherine,
DeleteI do not think that TOCs that participate in human trafficking would be less prominent if these people would have jobs. I think that the major problem with human trafficking and sex trafficking is that as long as there is a demand for it, these organizations will provide it.
Hey Katherine! Thanks for your input - those are all good questions. I would also love more information about states that have have had progress in lessening the control of these organizations by improving state assistance with programs directed at employment and other social services. For example, how has Italy worked in trying to lessen the influence of the mafia?
ReplyDeleteHi Jessica,
ReplyDeleteI think you brought up a good point that in many developing countries criminal organizations provide employment and people have no other choice but to turn to these organizations for employment because of their economic hardship. I agree with you that if those organizations would disappear, many states cannot provide the same services to their citizens as these organizations do.
I think that transnational organized crime organizations that participate in human trafficking, drug trafficking and human smuggling etc. definitely undermine a state's authority because they use so much violence, not just against the trafficked people but also against law enforcement personnel. On top of that, they use corruption for the protection of their business, which definitely undermines a state's authority.