by Moises Naim
Globalization has unleashed criminal networks that span continents and industries. Moisés Naím traces the connections linking a Colombian cocaine dealer to a New York banker routing funds through offshore havens, an Albanian trafficking women, and a Chinese vendor hawking counterfeit DVDs. The numbers tell the story: legitimate trade doubled from $5 to $10 trillion since 1990, while money laundering jumped tenfold to over $1 trillion annually. The collapse of the Iron Curtain and widespread deregulation opened new pathways for smugglers and criminals, even as post-9/11 security measures tried to close them. Naím illustrates these dynamics through real cases: A.Q. Khan peddling nuclear technology to North Korea and Libya, American Walter C. Anderson concealing $450 million offshore, and Peruvian intelligence chief Vladimir Montesinos orchestrating drug and arms deals. Government responses lag behind the expanding reach of organized crime.
Genres: political-science, crime, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, true-crime
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: investigative-journalism
Setting: Albania, China, Colombia, Libya, New York, North Korea, Peru
Period: Post-9/11
400 pages · Paperback · Debate