The challenge posed by transnational organized crime is a formidable one. In recent years, however, some progress has been made by states and international organizations in developing measures to combat criminal enterprises. This volume can be understood as a snapshot of these efforts. It is divided into three sections: conceptual analyses relating to various facets of the problem; some examples of transnational organized crime and illegal markets in operation; and papers looking at various initiatives that governments and international organizations have taken and/or need to take. This book seeks to explain: the rise of transnational organized crime, its nature and meaning, its operations in illegal markets, and the various ways in which it is organized. It also includes case studies of specific criminal activities such as maritime fraud as well as analyses of trafficking in women and children and the black market in light weapons.
The volume also examines the political, juridicial, and law enforcement responses, with attention given to Interpol's approach, developments in the European Union - Third Pillar and Europol - and the International Atomic Energy Agency's response to nuclear material trafficking.