NCJ Number
181993
Date Published
1997
Length
105 pages
Annotation
This report of the Russian Organized Crime Task Force of the Center for Strategic and International Studies presents findings on the nature and threat of organized crime in Russia as well as recommended actions for countering this threat.
Abstract
The study concludes that left unchecked, Russia is in danger of becoming a "criminal-syndicalist state" under the control of corrupt government bureaucrats, politicians, businessmen, and criminals, with which normal relations would be impossible. The Task Force also concludes that Russian organized crime (ROC) constitutes a direct threat to the national security interests of the United States by fostering instability in a nuclear-armed major power. Equally ominous is the challenge to national security and law enforcement posed by the transnational operations and alliances of ROC groups. ROC groups hold the uniquely dangerous opportunity to procure and traffic nuclear materials. The corruption that pervades every level of Russia's bureaucracy is the major impediment to combating organized crime in Russia. The report recommends that the development of a free market in Russia founded on the rule of law should be recognized as the only long-term policy solution for ROC and must be central to all U.S. policy decisions. In order to mitigate instances of corruption within the Russian government, U.S. policies and actions should shift from support for political personalities to support for segments of the Russian government that are working to usher in the rule of law. Other recommendations focus on what the United States can do to foster the development of a legitimate economy and a strong criminal justice system that enforces a fair body of civil, criminal, and contract law, so as to regain control over the adjudication role currently played by ROC groups. Appended significant dates and incidents in ROC, a depiction of the "Iron Triangle" of contemporary Russia, and a discussion of corruption and criminality in Russia