The following is an excerpt from an article by Dr James Cockayne originally published by the .
Around the world, political and criminal actors appear to be working more closely together than ever before. In 2011, the that criminal networks were forging alliances with political actors to undermine the interests of the United States. Spanish prosecutors have that in many former Soviet states organized crime groups work ¡°as a complement to state structures,¡± doing ¡°whatever the government¡cannot.¡± Concerns about political and public sector corruption in eastern Europe have . A suggests that organized crime groups are taking control of local democracy in countries as varied as Afghanistan, Colombia, and Niger. In the Middle East, organizations such as in Lebanon and the Islamic State combine local social service provision, militant activity, and transnational organized crime to develop governmental power. And in North Korea, the ruling regime is of counterfeiting, drug-running, and even human trafficking. ¡°Mafia states,¡± as this convergence of political and criminal power has , appear to be on the rise worldwide.
