Mafia state
This article refers to a systematic corruption of a government by major organized crime
syndicates. For the greater connotation that literally means "rule by thieves", see
Kleptocracy.
In politics, a mafia state is state system where the government is tied with organized crime, including
when government officials, police, and/or military take part in illicit enterprises.[1] The term mafia is a
reference to any organized crime groups strongly connected with the authorities.
According to the critics of the mafia state concept, the term "has now been so used and abused in
popularized descriptions of organized criminal activity that it has lost much of its analytic value".[2]
According to US diplomats, defector Alexander Litvinenko coined the phrase "mafia state."[3]
Contents
Particular applications of the concept
Cosa Nostra in Italy and Yakuza in Japan
Countries described as Mafia states
Republics and territories of the former Yugoslavia
Transnistria
Russia
Mexico
Malta
Other
See also
Related concepts
References
Further reading
Particular applications of the concept
Cosa Nostra in Italy and Yakuza in Japan
In a critical review of Moisés Naím's essay in Foreign Affairs, Peter Andreas pointed to the long
existence of Italian mafia and Japanese Yakuza, writing that there were close relationships between those
illicit organisations and respective governments.[2] According to Andreas, these examples speak against
incidences of mafia states as a historically new threat.[2]
In Italy, the actions of the mafia can continue to affect people's lives today. The Italian "Camorra" Mafia
network became powerful in the city of Naples in the 19th century, although it can trace its origins back
to 15th-century Spain and today extends its influence to European countries above Italy as well. The
Cosa Nostra and 'Ndrangheta both as well existed in Italy with a confederation of about 150 different
groups each with their own organizations and ruling body.[4] Part of the
network, known as the "Casalesi clan" became involved in business in
the 1970s and 80s, eventually gaining control of large areas of the local
economy "partly by manipulating politicians and intimidating judges".
Among the contracts the clan gained was for the disposal of toxic waste,
however, much of it was dumped illegally. This dumped toxic waste is
thought to be cause of a rise in the number suffering from cancer in
towns around Naples. The rise was first noticed two decades ago, and has
been calculated that there has been a 40 and 47 per cent increase in
cancer in women and men respectively. The Italian Senate is currently
investigating the causes of the cancers, with illegal dumping thought to
be the likely cause.[5]
Giulio Andreotti, seven-time
Prime Minister of Italy, was
Countries described as Mafia states charged with having links to
the Mafia
Republics and territories of the former Yugoslavia
Kosovo, a partially recognised independent state formerly part of Serbia,
was called a "mafia state" by Italian MEP Pino Arlacchi in 2011,[7] and
also by Moisés Naím in his 2012 essay "Mafia States" in the Foreign
Affairs. Naím pointed out that Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi is
allegedly connected to the heroin trade. Many other crime allegations
have been made, and investigated by several countries, against Thaçi.
Naím also labeled Montenegro as a "mafia state" in the same essay,[8]
describing it as a hub for cigarette smuggling.[2]
Transnistria
Transnistria, an unrecognised break-away state from Moldova, has long
Montenegro's president Milo
been described by journalists, researchers, politicians and diplomats as a Đukanović is often
quasistate whose economy is dependent on contraband[9] and described as having strong
gunrunning.[10][11][12] links to Montenegrin
mafia.[6]
For instance, in 2002, Moldova's president, Vladimir Voronin, called
Transnistria a "residence of international mafia", "smuggling stronghold"
and "outpost of Islamic combatants". The allegations were followed by attempts of customs blockade.
Reacting to the allegations, Russian state-run RTR aired an investigative program revealing that
Transnistrian firms were conducting industrial-level manufacturing of small arms purposely for
subsequent illegal trafficking via the Ukrainian port of Odessa. According to the program, the trade was
controlled by and benefited from Transnistria's founder and then-ruler Igor Smirnov.[13]
However, more recent investigations and monitoring missions did not prove continuity in arms
trafficking concerns. According to regular reports of the European Border Assistance Mission to
Moldova and Ukraine (EUBAM), there have been no signs of significant weapons smuggling from
Transnistria. During the press-conference on 30 November 2006 head of EUBAM Ferenc Banfi officially
stated that organised smuggling of weapons in Transnistria did not exist.[14] In 2013, Ukrainian Foreign
Minister and acting chairman of the OSCE Leonid Kozhara gave an interview to El País newspaper,
commenting on situation in Transnistria and results of work of the EUBAM mission. According to
Kozhara, there have been no cases of arms traffic found.[15]
Some experts from Russia and Transnistria state that allegations of Transnistria being a "mafia state",
"black hole of Europe", "heaven for arms trafficking", etc. are a carefully planned defamation campaign
paid by the Moldovan government and aimed at producing negative image of Transnistria.[16] Officials
from the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), say they
have no evidence that the Tiraspol regime has ever trafficked arms or nuclear material. Much of the
alarm is attributed to efforts by the Moldovan government to increase pressure on Transdniester.[17]
Russia
The term has been used by defector Alexander Litvinenko and some Western media to describe the
political system in Russia under Vladimir Putin's rule.[18][19][20] This characterization came to
prominence following the United States diplomatic cables leak, which revealed that US diplomats
viewed Russia as "a corrupt, autocratic kleptocracy centred on the leadership of Vladimir Putin, in which
officials, oligarchs and organised crime are bound together to create a 'virtual mafia state.'"[21][22] In his
book titled Mafia State, journalist and author Luke Harding argues that Putin has "created a state peopled
by ex-KGB and FSB officers, like himself, [who are] bent on making money above all."[23] In the
estimation of American diplomats, "the government [of Russia] effectively [is] the mafia."[24][25][26]
According to the New Statesman, "the term had entered the lexicon of expert discussion" several years
before the cables leak, "and not as a frivolous metaphor. Those most familiar with the country had come
to see it as a kleptocracy with Vladimir Putin in the role of capo di tutti capi, dividing the spoils and
preventing turf wars between rival clans of an essentially criminal elite."[27] In 2008, Stephen Blank
noted that Russia under Putin is "a state that European officials privately call a Mafia state" that
"naturally gravitates toward Mafia-like behavior."[28]
Nikolay Petrov, an analyst at the Carnegie Moscow Centre, said "it's pretty hard to damage the Russian
image in the world because it's already not very good".[29]
Mexico
The scholar of Law and Economics Edgardo Buscaglia describes the political system of Mexico as a
"Mafiacracy". Buscaglia characterises the condition between the state, the economy and organized crime
in Mexico as a mutual interweaving, [30] Mexico has also been labeled as a Narco-state (a country where
the political power and the economy it's closely related and its relies highly on protecting the drug
trafficking mafias).[31]
Malta
Jonathan Benton, the former head of a United Kingdom anti-corruption agency, described Malta as a
“mafia state” where money laundering transactions of hundreds of millions of euros are made every year
without any problem. He made this statement while speaking on BBC radio following the murder of
investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.[32]
Other
Moisés Naím, the author of Illicit: How Smugglers, Traffickers, and Copycats Are Hijacking the Global
Economy, wrote in an article for the American magazine Foreign Policy: "In mafia states such as
Bulgaria, Guinea-Bissau, Montenegro, Myanmar (also called Burma), Ukraine, and Venezuela, the
national interest and the interests of organised crime are now inextricably intertwined."[33]
See also
Related concepts
Counterintelligence state
Police state
Narco-state
Failed state
Terrorist state
North Korea's illicit activities
Kleptocracy
References
1. Mafia States: Organized Crime Takes Office (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137529/
moises-naim/mafia-states) by Moisés Naím, Foreign Affairs.
2. Andreas, Peter (2012-07-01). "Measuring the Mafia-State Menace: Are Government-
Backed Gangs a Grave New Threat?" (http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/137692/peter-a
ndreas-moises-naim/measuring-the-mafia-state-menace). Foreign Affairs (July/August
2012). Retrieved 2013-05-25.
3. Luhn, Alec; Harding, Luke (5 November 2015). "Spain issues arrest warrants for Russian
officials close to Putin" (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/may/04/spain-issues-arres
t-warrants-for-russian-officials-close-to-putin). The Guardian. London. Retrieved 27 April
2016.
4. Letizia, Paoli (May 2016). Oxford Handbook of Italian Politics. Oxford University Press.
pp. 670–671. ISBN 9780199669745.
5. "The toxic reason a mafia boss became a police informant" (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ma
gazine-24678624). BBC News. 30 October 2013.
6. "OCCRP announces 2015 Organized Crime and Corruption ‘Person of the Year’ Award (htt
ps://www.occrp.org/personoftheyear/2015/)". Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting
Project.
7. "Kosovo is "mafia state", says Italian MEP" (http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.ph
p?yyyy=2011&mm=02&dd=24&nav_id=72906). B92.net. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
8. Andreas, Peter (2012-07-01). "Measuring the Mafia-State Menace" (http://www.foreignaffair
s.com/articles/137692/peter-andreas-moises-naim/measuring-the-mafia-state-menace).
Foreign Affairs. Foreignaffairs.com (July/August 2012). Retrieved 2013-05-25.
9. "An illegal business that's smoking" (http://www.bne.eu/archive_story.php?id=3467&words%
5b%5d=contraband&words%5b%5d=moldova). Business New Europe. 2012-04-18.
Retrieved 3 September 2013.
10. "Ющенко: Украина недополучает из-за контрабанды из Приднестровья" (http://korrespo
ndent.net/business/149005-yushchenko-ukraina-nedopoluchaet-iz-za-kontrabandy-iz-pridne
strovya). Korrespondent. 23 March 2006. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
11. "Hotbed of weapons deals" (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2004/jan/18/20040118-
103519-5374r/). The Washington Times. January 18, 2004. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
12. СВИРИДЕНКО, АЛЕКСАНДР; НЕПРЯХИНА, НАТАЛИЯ (2006-10-03). "Приднестровье
самоизолировалось" (https://web.archive.org/web/20140102191045/http://www.kommersa
nt.ua/doc/656240). Kommersant-Ukraine. Archived from the original (http://www.kommersan
t.ua/doc/656240) on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2013.
13. Bulavchenko, Aliona (February 8, 2002). ДНЕСТРОВСКИЕ ПОРОГИ (http://gazeta.zn.ua/P
OLITICS/dnestrovskie_porogi.html). Zerkalo Nedeli (in Russian). Retrieved 2 January 2014.
14. Fragment of EUBAM press-conference regarding Mission activities in 2004-2006 (https://ww
w.youtube.com/watch?v=DyWih4cCCc8) Transnistrian Customs Committee Press-Service.
15. Queremos zonas de libre comercio tanto al Este como hacia el Oeste (http://internacional.el
pais.com/internacional/2013/06/04/actualidad/1370334170_344660.html) El Pais. 4 June
2013.
16. Some aspects of administrative legal regime of customs activities of Transnistria in context
of work of international monitoring missions (http://customs-science.net/?p=85) Customs
and Science. 12 May 2011.
17. Moldova: Western Diplomats Say Reports Of Smuggling From Transdniester Likely
Exaggerated (https://www.rferl.org/a/1062030.html) Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
October 11, 2005.
18. Putin's Russia 'now a mafia state' (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17200833),
BBC
19. Wikileaks: Russia branded 'mafia state' in cables (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-can
ada-11893886), BBC
20. British MPs paint scary picture of Putin's Russia (http://euobserver.com/24/115524),
EUObserver
21. WikiLeaks cables condemn Russia as 'mafia state' (https://www.theguardian.com/world/201
0/dec/01/wikileaks-cables-russia-mafia-kleptocracy), The Guardian
22. 'Mafia state' leader Putin knew of poison plot that killed former KGB spy in London (http://w
ww.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1334865/WikiLeaks-Putin-probably-knew-Alexander-Litvine
nko-poisoning.html), Daily Mail
23. Expelled Moscow correspondent claims Russia is mafia state (http://www.abc.net.au/pm/co
ntent/2011/s3329930.htm), abc.net.au
24. Below Surface, U.S. Has Dim View of Putin and Russia (https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/
02/world/europe/02wikileaks-russia.html?pagewanted=2), The New York Times
25. Russia - Mafia State: It's important to tell the truth about Putin's Russia (http://ireport.cnn.co
m/docs/DOC-751968), CNN
26. Stephen Holmes, Fragments of a Defunct State (http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n01/stephen-holm
es/fragments-of-a-defunct-state), London Review of Books
27. Review: Mafia State (http://www.newstatesman.com/books/2011/10/russia-mafia-harding-pu
tin), New Statesman
28. Stephen Blank (2008): What Comes After the Russo–Georgian War? What's at Stake in the
CIS, American Foreign Policy Interests, 30:6, 379–391
29. Russia’s "mafia state" image no disaster (https://web.archive.org/web/20121223084127/htt
p://www.euronews.com/2010/12/02/putin-russia-s-mafia-state-image-no-disaster), euronews
30. Die Zeit-Online: Interview with Edgardo Buscaglia (German-speaking Article) (http://www.zei
t.de/wirtschaft/2011-03/drogenstaat-mexiko-korruption)
31. "Ven en EU a México como 'narcoestado' " (https://www.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/noticia/13
80561.ven-en-eu-a-mexico-como-narcoestado.html).
32. Ltd, Allied Newspapers. "Ex-British anti-corruption boss dubs Malta 'mafia state' " (https://w
ww.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20171021/local/ex-british-anti-corruption-boss-dubs-malt
a-mafia-state.660939). Times of Malta. Retrieved 2018-10-14.
33. "Mafia States" (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/2012-04-20/mafia-states). Foreign
Policy. 2012.
Further reading
Luke Harding (2012). Mafia State: How One Reporter Became an Enemy of the Brutal New
Russia. Guardian Books. ISBN 978-0-85265-249-7.
Naím, M. (2012). "Mafia states: Organized crime takes office." Foreign Affairs, 91, 100.
Wang, P. & Blancke, S. (2014). "Mafia State: The Evolving Threat of North Korean Narcotics
Trafficking." The RUSI Journal. 159 (5). 52–59.
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