Organised Crime Corruption And The Movement Of People Across Borders In The New Enlarged Eu Electronic Resource

This book explores China’s Belt and Road Initiative and the criminogenic potential for economic, financial, and socio-cultural cooperation across countries, where some are known for weak law enforcement and high levels of corruption. It examines whether these flows of capital are increasing the amount of organized crime in the newly linked regions and how law enforcement agencies are responding. Bringing together experts across the Global South and Europe, this book considers transnational organized crime and corruption across One Belt One Road (OBOR). It examines crime and corruption in China and its international United Front tactic; analyzes various forms of transnational organized crime such as trafficking of illegal drugs, looted antiquities, and wildlife and counterfeit products; and presents studies on corruption and organized crime in selected OBOR countries including Russia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland, and Bangladesh. This book makes a significant contribution to the development of southern criminology and will also be of interest to those engaged with transnational organized crime, political economy, international relations, and Asian and Chinese studies.

In Corruption and Organised Crime in Europe, Gounev and Ruggiero present a discussion of the relation between organized criminals and corruption in the EU’s 27 Member States. The book draws on research and scholarly work the editors carried out, respectively, within the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) in Bulgaria, and within academic institutions, as well as on behalf of the European Commission and the United Nations. Combining empirical data and theoretical debates, the book focuses on three main areas of the relationship between corruption and organised crime: public bodies, the private sector and criminal markets. It presents the findings of a recent research project carried out by the CSD on behalf of the European Commission, providing an analysis of the specific national contexts in which corruption and organized crime thrive. The essays also address institutional responses and policies, focusing particularly on how EU Member States attempt to sever the links between the official economy, the political sphere and organized crime. The second part of the book presents case studies, written by some of the foremost international experts on the subject matter, analysing corrupt exchange and criminal organisations, concentrating on specific European countries – Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Russia, Spain and the UK. As the first comprehensive study of corruption and organised crime in the countries of the European Union, the book will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of criminology, sociology, law and international politics, as well policy makers and law-enforcement agencies.

Since the end of World War II and the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, the United States has taken the lead in maintaining European security through its membership in NATO. However, the economic and political positions of both the United States and Europe have changed in the last seventy-five years, leading many to wonder if America is still willing and able to provide for Europe’s security needs, especially at a time when the Russian Federation has become a more aggressive military and political player. Europe Alone explores the prospects of European security in a future when the United States may no longer be a reliable partner. Leading security scholars offer a multifaceted approach to the changing role and meaning of national security into the future. They look at European security issues from the perspective of small states and seek to broaden the concept of security beyond traditional domestic policing or national defense.

Contents: Cross-Border Crime; A Relative Concept and Broad Phenomenon; Cross-Border Crime Patterns between Eastern Europe and the European Union; Transnational Organised Crime and Cross-Border Trafficking in Human Beings in the Czech Republic; Multi-Disciplinary and Pro-Active Approach to the Human Trafficking Phenomenon; Trafficking in Migrants: A European Perspective; Drug Trafficking in Poland; Cross-Border Crime Between Finland and Estonia; Organised Economic Crime Problems in the Ukraine; Credit Card Fraud in International Perspective; Fraud Against the European Public Funds; Financial Investigations and Crime-Money; Facts and Myths About Underground Banking; Organised Crime and Money-Laundering; The Proceeds of Crime and their International Recovery in Europe; Extra and Sneaky Legal Evidence in Cross-Border Investigations; Afterword.

In The globalization of crime: a transnational organized crime threat assessment, UNODC analyses a range of key transnational crime threats, including human trafficking, migrant smuggling, the illicit heroin and cocaine trades, cybercrime, maritime piracy and trafficking in environmental resources, firearms and counterfeit goods. The report also examines a number of cases where transnational organized crime and instability amplify each other to create vicious circles in which countries or even subregions may become locked. Thus, the report offers a striking view of the global dimensions of organized crime today.