CIAO DATE: 01/01

Transnational Organized Crime: The Caribbean Context

Anthony T. Bryan

North South Center
University of Miami

October 2000

Were it not for the illegitimate character of their actions, transnational criminals could be lauded as pioneers and visionaries in the age of globalization. They have adopted facilitative and exacting measures to remain competitive, fashioned an enviable organizational culture of efficiency and accountability, and maximized the opportunities provided by globalization. They have been able to innovate, expand, and flourish in a furiously changing international scenario and have done so while being relatively cloaked, so that there is an aura of mystery and ambiguity about their operations. The globalization process, coupled with the communications/technology revolution, have made the international system more interactive, integrated, interrelated, and interconnected. This dynamic has unlocked doors and opened windows of opportunity, enabling the underworld to widen and deepen its reach, become more sophisticated in its operations, and intensify its level and pace of transactions. In many instances fortified with a command of the power of technology, disregard for human life and values, and indiscreet ruthlessness, these criminals are able to corrupt societies with little regard for national boundaries, state sovereignty, or levels of political and economic development. The effects of globalization on the local and international markets increase the incentive for criminals operating in most illegal sectors to develop their activities in a more structured and stable manner. Because of the opportunities and needs created by the global dimension of business, economic crimes such as fraud, counterfeiting, corruption, and embezzlement have opportunities to shift from the individual or family ambit to more organized and competitive global structures. Transnational criminal activity has been shaped by and is itself shaping many of the unprecedented global developments we are witnessing today. Indeed, differences in character aside, underground criminal organizations behave like multinational corporations — establishing affiliates, maintaining strategic alliances, preserving relations with foreign leaders, investing legitimately in foreign countries, and extending their capacities and range throughout regions. They exist within an explicit and (semi-) ordered power-structured hierarchy to sustain the integrity of the organization. Interactions and networking among criminal entities, however, still tend to be fluid, makeshift, and ad hoc, as different parties may embark on a joint venture together and then disperse after the enterprise is complete (Lee 1999).

Looked at in an international context, relations among states are certainly affected by the infiltration of criminal forces within nations. International criminals ignore borders, except when seeking safe haven behind them. They move enormous sums of money, larger than the combined economies of many nations, through the international financial system. They are often organized in multi-crime businesses, and they have capitalized on the growth in international communications and transport to arrange strategic alliances and expand their operations. National policies, decisionmaking, the content of diplomacy, interdependence, redistribution of power — and even the diplomatic temperament among nations — are impinged on or crafted in some instance to suit the dynamics of transnational criminal activity. As such activity continues to escalate and increasingly undermine the activity of legitimate enterprises, the conduct of global politics will necessarily change.

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