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Illicit (text only) by M. Naim
How Smugglers, Traffickers, and Copycats are Hijacking the Global Economy [Paperback] Moises Naim (Author)
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First published January 1, 2005
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November 5, 2018
You see them every day -- the $50 Coach bags, the $100 Rolex watches, the designer jeans and sunglasses selling for ten percent of their normal retail price. This is usually what we think of when (or if) we think of counterfeit goods. We don't think about car parts, pharmaceuticals, food, medical devices, industrial chemicals, building supplies... basically anything that costs something more than a large number of people want to pay for it. When (or if) we think of smuggling, we think of drugs; we forget about cigarettes, liquor (bootleggers still exist), weapons and ammunition, rare animals or their pieces, art (especially antiquities), gems, nuclear technology, human organs, even entire humans.
Moisés Naím didn't forget; he wrote an entire book (this one) about them. He looks at the many branches of global illicit trade from a 10,000-foot view, and tries to paint a picture of a complex web of production, distribution, retail sales, diplomacy, policy-making, and financial machinations that may be worth 10% of the world's GDP -- almost eight trillion dollars in 2017.
People have been smuggling ever since they've been trading. Counterfeit goods have been around since people started living in cities. What's changed? Naím points his finger at a number of great upheavals that hit the world's economy all at the same time starting in the 1990s: open international trade, fast and cheap international communications, the internet as consumer playground, and the severe case of capitalism contracted by much of the world after the fall of the Soviet empire. All these factors combined to enable a creation of wealth unprecedented in world history. However, they also enabled the players who colored outside the lines, ranging from the guys hawking almost-Michael Kors handbags on the streets of Manhattan or Athens' Monastiraki Square to the captains of finance and industry who use mostly-legal financial chicanery to hide profits from everybody's tax man.
The author sets up right in the beginning three illusions he imputes to the public at large, illusions that make countering illicit commerce nearly impossible: that it's nothing new (perhaps so, he says, but the scope is far and away greater than ever before); that it's just a specialized kind of organized crime (not only can it be an instrument of state policy, as in the case of North Korea, but it also uses the global frameworks established by governments and corporations); and that it's something that only happens someplace else, in the failed states and the dark corners of the world, "underground" in the "black market."
This last theme comes up multiple times. The author points out that illicit trade is about profits, not morality; it can be considered the ultimate expression of free-market libertarianism. He also doesn't let consumers off the hook. This trade thrives only because there are markets for it; the Staten Island housewife who buys an ersatz Dior purse is as culpable as the Chinese mogul who buys tiger parts to use as folk Viagra, or the Mexican cartel sub-boss who buys a Ukrainian sex slave. For those of you who think the solution is to raise the drawbridge and turn inward, Naím has news: the bad actors love a fragmented, nationalist world. It means less competition for them, and far less coordinated effort among the world's thousands of police agencies.
Naím, editor of Foreign Policy magazine and former Executive Director of the World Bank, breaks his survey into thematic chapters covering various aspects of illicit trade. He talks about the very familiar (weapons, drugs), the less familiar (intellectual property, endangered species), and the things that sound like setups for movie thrillers (organs, nukes). His prose style is serious but readable. Perhaps because of his background in print journalism, Illicit often reads like a newsmagazine feature article that's grown to fill the entire issue. As usual for nonfiction of this sort, he usually moves from a specific case study to general theses about the subject at hand.
This stylistic choice both enhances and detracts from the book. It's instructive to see close-up how a particular counterfeiting or money-laundering scheme works before moving on to the bigger picture. However, the bigger picture in this case becomes repetitive; the trade is big and bad and nobody's dealing with it effectively. After a few chapters, you'll be able to anticipate much of the author's larger worldview.
Also, Naím is strong on diagnosis but weak on prescription. The chapter he devotes to how we can fix the problem lists measures that are unlikely to happen (an all-discipline agency dedicated to fighting illicit commerce, decriminalization of the least-harmful trades) and ones that have been tried and have become part of another problem (invasive tracking technology). With all his study into the subject, I'd have expected the author to come up with more actionable solutions than he has.
Finally, this book was published in 2005. The figures and some of the featured players are outdated, and the world of tomorrow outlined in the chapter "The World Ahead" is largely our world today, with most of the same problems as that of 2005. It's unfortunate the author hasn't revised this book to include not only the crimes of the past ten years, but also updated (and, perhaps, more practical) solutions for today.
Illicit is, despite its various shortcomings, a good entry-level view of counterfeiting, smuggling, money laundering and tax evasion. If you've been paying attention to the subject, you'll still learn something; if you haven't, you'll probably be shocked and appalled. In any event, you'll be more likely to see beyond the too-good-to-be-true bargain. If you pass on that $25 "Seiko" watch a street vendor offers you, the author will have made his point.
Moisés Naím didn't forget; he wrote an entire book (this one) about them. He looks at the many branches of global illicit trade from a 10,000-foot view, and tries to paint a picture of a complex web of production, distribution, retail sales, diplomacy, policy-making, and financial machinations that may be worth 10% of the world's GDP -- almost eight trillion dollars in 2017.
People have been smuggling ever since they've been trading. Counterfeit goods have been around since people started living in cities. What's changed? Naím points his finger at a number of great upheavals that hit the world's economy all at the same time starting in the 1990s: open international trade, fast and cheap international communications, the internet as consumer playground, and the severe case of capitalism contracted by much of the world after the fall of the Soviet empire. All these factors combined to enable a creation of wealth unprecedented in world history. However, they also enabled the players who colored outside the lines, ranging from the guys hawking almost-Michael Kors handbags on the streets of Manhattan or Athens' Monastiraki Square to the captains of finance and industry who use mostly-legal financial chicanery to hide profits from everybody's tax man.
The author sets up right in the beginning three illusions he imputes to the public at large, illusions that make countering illicit commerce nearly impossible: that it's nothing new (perhaps so, he says, but the scope is far and away greater than ever before); that it's just a specialized kind of organized crime (not only can it be an instrument of state policy, as in the case of North Korea, but it also uses the global frameworks established by governments and corporations); and that it's something that only happens someplace else, in the failed states and the dark corners of the world, "underground" in the "black market."
This last theme comes up multiple times. The author points out that illicit trade is about profits, not morality; it can be considered the ultimate expression of free-market libertarianism. He also doesn't let consumers off the hook. This trade thrives only because there are markets for it; the Staten Island housewife who buys an ersatz Dior purse is as culpable as the Chinese mogul who buys tiger parts to use as folk Viagra, or the Mexican cartel sub-boss who buys a Ukrainian sex slave. For those of you who think the solution is to raise the drawbridge and turn inward, Naím has news: the bad actors love a fragmented, nationalist world. It means less competition for them, and far less coordinated effort among the world's thousands of police agencies.
Naím, editor of Foreign Policy magazine and former Executive Director of the World Bank, breaks his survey into thematic chapters covering various aspects of illicit trade. He talks about the very familiar (weapons, drugs), the less familiar (intellectual property, endangered species), and the things that sound like setups for movie thrillers (organs, nukes). His prose style is serious but readable. Perhaps because of his background in print journalism, Illicit often reads like a newsmagazine feature article that's grown to fill the entire issue. As usual for nonfiction of this sort, he usually moves from a specific case study to general theses about the subject at hand.
This stylistic choice both enhances and detracts from the book. It's instructive to see close-up how a particular counterfeiting or money-laundering scheme works before moving on to the bigger picture. However, the bigger picture in this case becomes repetitive; the trade is big and bad and nobody's dealing with it effectively. After a few chapters, you'll be able to anticipate much of the author's larger worldview.
Also, Naím is strong on diagnosis but weak on prescription. The chapter he devotes to how we can fix the problem lists measures that are unlikely to happen (an all-discipline agency dedicated to fighting illicit commerce, decriminalization of the least-harmful trades) and ones that have been tried and have become part of another problem (invasive tracking technology). With all his study into the subject, I'd have expected the author to come up with more actionable solutions than he has.
Finally, this book was published in 2005. The figures and some of the featured players are outdated, and the world of tomorrow outlined in the chapter "The World Ahead" is largely our world today, with most of the same problems as that of 2005. It's unfortunate the author hasn't revised this book to include not only the crimes of the past ten years, but also updated (and, perhaps, more practical) solutions for today.
Illicit is, despite its various shortcomings, a good entry-level view of counterfeiting, smuggling, money laundering and tax evasion. If you've been paying attention to the subject, you'll still learn something; if you haven't, you'll probably be shocked and appalled. In any event, you'll be more likely to see beyond the too-good-to-be-true bargain. If you pass on that $25 "Seiko" watch a street vendor offers you, the author will have made his point.
January 20, 2011
A fascinating look at the global underground economy and how things like counterfeiting (of everything from DVDs to medicines to auto parts), drug trafficking, human trafficking, illegal immigration, arms smuggling, money laundering and terrorism are all interlinked, not only with each other, but with the legitimate global economy as well. The book is an easy and interesting read and very well researched. Not just for econ geeks and policy wonks, it's a good read for anyone who wants to understand better how the world is interconnected. It's also an interesting look at various kinds of international crimes from an economic perspective.
September 12, 2012
The book is a little bit repetitive, but it makes sense in the context of the similar ways in which different goods and cargo, including people, are smuggled and trafficked around the world. It provides a good introduction to the many types of cargos which are trafficked, and more importantly how governments and legitimate businesses cooperate with illegal enterprises in order to boost the bottom line and make a profit. It provides a good introduction both into the world of smuggling and trafficking itself as well into the systems that allow these crimes to take place.
January 25, 2011
Lacking in any real insight or detail. Like something you'd read in Time Magazine. Back cover blurb from Thomas Friedman says it all really.
March 24, 2020
The Economy from the point of view of a 6 year old: mommy says you should not play with matches, and if I change socks every day she will buy me candy.
So far nothing special. Another man with stunted development. The problems start arising when he decides that daddy is the strongest and daddy should tell you what to do. Or Naim will tell on you.
So far nothing special. Another man with stunted development. The problems start arising when he decides that daddy is the strongest and daddy should tell you what to do. Or Naim will tell on you.
March 29, 2015
A solid 3.5, bumped up to 4 because I haven't personally read a better intro to illicit trading book.
Illicit offers a good overview of the scope of illicit trading, the depth of criminal networks, and the barriers to governments fighting illicit trade. The author does a great job of outlining the types of illicit trade, the motivations of criminals that make up smuggling networks, the forces that encourage these criminal enterprises, and the impact of smuggling on the economy.
The author does a less-good job of offering tangible, organized solutions and presenting key points in a linear fashion. After the first few chapters discussing the unique details of various types of smuggling operations, some of the points became repetitive. By the last 3 or so chapters I was forcing myself to read through to the end. Notes about solutions are helpful, especially the point that border protections drive up the value of contraband and that as long as there is demand for illicit goods someone will supply them. In terms of actual policy recommendations, though, this text is lacking.
It reads like a soapbox diatribe from someone who is really well-informed about the issue but hasn't developed a way forward yet.
Overall, not a bad read as an overview of illicit trade, but don't expect crystallized solutions.
Illicit offers a good overview of the scope of illicit trading, the depth of criminal networks, and the barriers to governments fighting illicit trade. The author does a great job of outlining the types of illicit trade, the motivations of criminals that make up smuggling networks, the forces that encourage these criminal enterprises, and the impact of smuggling on the economy.
The author does a less-good job of offering tangible, organized solutions and presenting key points in a linear fashion. After the first few chapters discussing the unique details of various types of smuggling operations, some of the points became repetitive. By the last 3 or so chapters I was forcing myself to read through to the end. Notes about solutions are helpful, especially the point that border protections drive up the value of contraband and that as long as there is demand for illicit goods someone will supply them. In terms of actual policy recommendations, though, this text is lacking.
It reads like a soapbox diatribe from someone who is really well-informed about the issue but hasn't developed a way forward yet.
Overall, not a bad read as an overview of illicit trade, but don't expect crystallized solutions.
August 13, 2022
Illicit is a concise, informative analysis of worldwide illegal commerce in the 21st century. Although not the flashiest or most prominent geopolitical issue today, Moises Naim makes a compelling case for its import and suggests some useful strategies for curbing it.
I was initially skeptical that trafficking was a significant enough issue for an entire book, but Naim excels in depicting the gigantic and deeply connected world of illegal arms smuggling, narcotics, human trafficking, and counterfeiting. His arguments are laid out in a simple and straightforward way: each of these trades is individually huge and elusive, but since the 1990s traffickers have become increasingly proficient at combining them and specializing in illegal commerce itself rather than any particular product. All of the statistics cited portray a colossal, dangerous industry, and Naim also takes care to include lesser-known illicit trade such as intellectual property, endangered species, and antiquities theft. More than any of these things, though, the book’s strongest point is Naim’s analysis of potential solutions. These think-tank type books often struggle with suggesting meaningful, concrete solutions, but Illicit’s preferred remedies are attractive and common-sense. I was particularly struck by Naim’s commentary on trafficking as an economic issue vs. moral outrage and by his insistence on smaller multilateral intelligence-sharing rather than Interpol-type organizations. This book certainly succeeds in its effort to describe the problem of illegal commerce and suggest a correct path forward.
However, I still struggled to find Illicit persuasive in its argument that this issue is one of paramount concern. Naim’s allusions to A.Q. Khan and illegal nuclear proliferation are certainly frightening, but since 2005 I understand that this hasn’t been a significant issue. In a similar manner, human trafficking is morally repugnant and the global arms trade is dangerous, but these are issues in contention with international terrorism, public health crises and interstate warfare for the attention of policymakers. Naim points out, correctly, that many of the participants in illicit trade today are ordinary, amoral people profiting from simple economics — assuming this is true, Illicit’s focus on a trade like counterfeiting seems to be missing the point. And despite this contention, Naim also still refers to participants in any of these trades as criminals, which may be legally true but perpetuates the exact problems he finds in the global discourse on smuggling. So while I still appreciated the book’s major points, I was unable to buy into its arguments to the extent for which Naim likely hoped.
On the whole, Illicit is certainly an interesting read. Relative to the plethora of literature about COVID or state-focused foreign policy, Moises Naim focuses on an under-discussed and crucial global issue. And even if his arguments aren’t completely convincing, they draw attention to the power of nonstate organizations and actors in the modern world; furthermore, the book successfully dwells on the extent to which traditional foreign policy thinkers have ignored this shift. While I wouldn’t call it one of the most impactful policy books I’ve read, it certainly made an impression on me. Accordingly, I would recommend this to anyone interested in international politics or policy-making.
I was initially skeptical that trafficking was a significant enough issue for an entire book, but Naim excels in depicting the gigantic and deeply connected world of illegal arms smuggling, narcotics, human trafficking, and counterfeiting. His arguments are laid out in a simple and straightforward way: each of these trades is individually huge and elusive, but since the 1990s traffickers have become increasingly proficient at combining them and specializing in illegal commerce itself rather than any particular product. All of the statistics cited portray a colossal, dangerous industry, and Naim also takes care to include lesser-known illicit trade such as intellectual property, endangered species, and antiquities theft. More than any of these things, though, the book’s strongest point is Naim’s analysis of potential solutions. These think-tank type books often struggle with suggesting meaningful, concrete solutions, but Illicit’s preferred remedies are attractive and common-sense. I was particularly struck by Naim’s commentary on trafficking as an economic issue vs. moral outrage and by his insistence on smaller multilateral intelligence-sharing rather than Interpol-type organizations. This book certainly succeeds in its effort to describe the problem of illegal commerce and suggest a correct path forward.
However, I still struggled to find Illicit persuasive in its argument that this issue is one of paramount concern. Naim’s allusions to A.Q. Khan and illegal nuclear proliferation are certainly frightening, but since 2005 I understand that this hasn’t been a significant issue. In a similar manner, human trafficking is morally repugnant and the global arms trade is dangerous, but these are issues in contention with international terrorism, public health crises and interstate warfare for the attention of policymakers. Naim points out, correctly, that many of the participants in illicit trade today are ordinary, amoral people profiting from simple economics — assuming this is true, Illicit’s focus on a trade like counterfeiting seems to be missing the point. And despite this contention, Naim also still refers to participants in any of these trades as criminals, which may be legally true but perpetuates the exact problems he finds in the global discourse on smuggling. So while I still appreciated the book’s major points, I was unable to buy into its arguments to the extent for which Naim likely hoped.
On the whole, Illicit is certainly an interesting read. Relative to the plethora of literature about COVID or state-focused foreign policy, Moises Naim focuses on an under-discussed and crucial global issue. And even if his arguments aren’t completely convincing, they draw attention to the power of nonstate organizations and actors in the modern world; furthermore, the book successfully dwells on the extent to which traditional foreign policy thinkers have ignored this shift. While I wouldn’t call it one of the most impactful policy books I’ve read, it certainly made an impression on me. Accordingly, I would recommend this to anyone interested in international politics or policy-making.
April 12, 2024
While very much outdated, I can see where this book gave people a different way of thinking about the world at the time it was published. I really wonder what an updated edition would read like. I'm sure it would be absolutely fascinating. I didn't learn anything particularly new about this book. It's one of those books that explains what organized crime is and how it evolved in the 1990s due to globalization and the advance of technology. It breaks down different types of organized crime very well. It frames things in fairly easy and straightforward language. However, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it because it reads as an early 2000s piece very distinctly and so much has changed since then.
June 6, 2025
While this book is competent and makes reasonable argument, its shallow, naive approach makes for a superficial slog. Unwilling to indict capitalism as the primary motivator for illicit trade nor name the US as a primary obstacle to world policing, Naim’s writing is at once flaccid and fantasist.
While the enumeration of the various aspects of the illicit world read like light Wikipedia summaries, Naim’s solutions are worse using the kind of buzz word simplicity that has become the stock in trade of Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein in recent years.
Overall: dull, naive, and lame. Skip.
While the enumeration of the various aspects of the illicit world read like light Wikipedia summaries, Naim’s solutions are worse using the kind of buzz word simplicity that has become the stock in trade of Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein in recent years.
Overall: dull, naive, and lame. Skip.
September 15, 2018
Fascinating read
This was very informative and eye opening. I wasn't aware of the full breadth and depth of illicit trade before reading it. If this is a topic you are only slightly interested in, I would recommend this book.
This was very informative and eye opening. I wasn't aware of the full breadth and depth of illicit trade before reading it. If this is a topic you are only slightly interested in, I would recommend this book.
September 28, 2019
In all fairness I have an organized crime, Mafia obsession. You might not this this is interesting if you don't, but its crazy interesting to find the roots and history of upwards of a 1/3 of the global economy
February 12, 2019
The author knows his stuff and provides an interesting perspective on global criminalism (I made that word up...) I wish I had read this 14 years ago and will have to see what else he has published
December 11, 2021
Informative, well written, memorable, social relevance, original, thought provoking, eyed opened, life changing, consequential, transformational, inquisitive, policy driven, enjoyable, witty!...
November 5, 2012
You probably didn't think, that time you downloaded an MP3 online or bought a bootleg DVD of the latest Hollywood release, that you were tied into one of the most dangerous and potentially destablizing political and economic forces on the planet...
Illicit by Moises Naim, takes a long, hard look at a new phenonoma in the international arena - the role of traffickers and trafficking networks in transforming politics, economics and borders. Naim, the Editor of Foreign Policy Magazine, has penned a darkly intriguing look at the underground economy of trafficking. Illicit looks a the intricate, intertwined worlds of smuggling, illegal migrants, narcotics, organ-legging, the international sex trade, slavery, the arms trade, money laundering, weapons of mass destruction and counterfeit goods.
Naim makes a strong case that the same value-chain enabling technologies that permit the Wal-Marts of the world to exist, have also given birth to illicit and illegal networks and enterprises - from Al Quada to pirated software. He traces the connections between points of international instability, legitimate trade, weak governments and porous borders and the rise of highly flexible, de-centralized networks that transcend state boundaries.
These networks are not Pablo Escobarean-style structures, run by a single boss, but rather a loose and ever-changing adaptable network of illegal and legal enterprises that can recombine, shift and take advantage of the restrictions inherent in states and state bureaucracy. They are, in essence, entrepenuerial power set free. They are networks - connections - the goods being trafficked are secondary to the linkages and capabilities the traffickers demonstrate.
One example Naim cites is the underground nuclear trade network of Abdul Quadeer Khan, Pakistan's father of the Islamic bomb. Khan's commercial network shipped centrifuges to Libya (uncovered in 2003) using, among others, a Malaysian enginnering firm, a Swiss engineer, a Sri Lanken intermediary, and a partially-owned British-owned Dubai corporation. The centrifuge was shipped on a German-registered ship.
The ability of these networks to heighten political instability, particularly in regions with marginal governmental / state controls or in regions where those particular states are weak, corrupt or permeable, is very high. Columbia, Peru and Bolivia for cocaine; Afghanistan for heroin; South Africa and Israel for illegal organs; China for counterfeit goods, software, DVD's, clothing; migrants from Africa and Asia; prostitutes from Hungary; optical disks from Ukraine...the list is endless and it is not just consumer goods but commercial industrial goods and medications.
Here's a quick excerpt description of Transdniester, a breakaway region of Moldova:
"Weapons are to Transdniester what chocolate is to Switzerland or oil to Saudi Arabia. Some countries export oil and gas, others, cotton or computers. Transdniester exports weapons - illegally. What kinds of weapons? Vast quantities of Soviet shells and rockets. Newly manufactured machine guns, rocket launchers, RPGs, and more, produced in what are described as 'at least six sprawling factories'".
Moldova has little to no authority over Transdniester. The region, which holds much of Moldova's industrial capacity, is essentially run by a family-owned company - the Sopranos writ large. They supply endless streams of weapons clandestinely around the world, a function previously controlled by and occupied by state players, now gone entreprenurial in the post-Cold War world of the 21st century.
Naim links the rise in trafficking networks of all types with other transnational networks such as Al Quada and offers the strong suggestion that where one is found, the other is not far behind. He also outlines the difficulties in fighting these criminal networks with the highly centralized, nation-based bureaucracies that now exist (i.e. Homeland Security) and the frictions and problems they face manifest in the fact that they are merely states. For the illicit networks of the world, borders and regulations spell opportunity. They are not going away. They are driven by high profits and markets not by morals. Like it or not, the Sprawl is now here.
In short, Illicit is probably one of the most important books for anyone looking to understand this "brave new world" which we inhabit, and the new influences and players operating within it. I seriously recommend you crack it open...it will make you think carefully about connections the next time your download your tunes.
I also recommend cracking open The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman. Reading both books gives you a fairly complete picture of the impact, both legal and illegal, that freed-up, easily-moving capital and supply can have on the world's economies and on political stability.
Illicit by Moises Naim, takes a long, hard look at a new phenonoma in the international arena - the role of traffickers and trafficking networks in transforming politics, economics and borders. Naim, the Editor of Foreign Policy Magazine, has penned a darkly intriguing look at the underground economy of trafficking. Illicit looks a the intricate, intertwined worlds of smuggling, illegal migrants, narcotics, organ-legging, the international sex trade, slavery, the arms trade, money laundering, weapons of mass destruction and counterfeit goods.
Naim makes a strong case that the same value-chain enabling technologies that permit the Wal-Marts of the world to exist, have also given birth to illicit and illegal networks and enterprises - from Al Quada to pirated software. He traces the connections between points of international instability, legitimate trade, weak governments and porous borders and the rise of highly flexible, de-centralized networks that transcend state boundaries.
These networks are not Pablo Escobarean-style structures, run by a single boss, but rather a loose and ever-changing adaptable network of illegal and legal enterprises that can recombine, shift and take advantage of the restrictions inherent in states and state bureaucracy. They are, in essence, entrepenuerial power set free. They are networks - connections - the goods being trafficked are secondary to the linkages and capabilities the traffickers demonstrate.
One example Naim cites is the underground nuclear trade network of Abdul Quadeer Khan, Pakistan's father of the Islamic bomb. Khan's commercial network shipped centrifuges to Libya (uncovered in 2003) using, among others, a Malaysian enginnering firm, a Swiss engineer, a Sri Lanken intermediary, and a partially-owned British-owned Dubai corporation. The centrifuge was shipped on a German-registered ship.
The ability of these networks to heighten political instability, particularly in regions with marginal governmental / state controls or in regions where those particular states are weak, corrupt or permeable, is very high. Columbia, Peru and Bolivia for cocaine; Afghanistan for heroin; South Africa and Israel for illegal organs; China for counterfeit goods, software, DVD's, clothing; migrants from Africa and Asia; prostitutes from Hungary; optical disks from Ukraine...the list is endless and it is not just consumer goods but commercial industrial goods and medications.
Here's a quick excerpt description of Transdniester, a breakaway region of Moldova:
"Weapons are to Transdniester what chocolate is to Switzerland or oil to Saudi Arabia. Some countries export oil and gas, others, cotton or computers. Transdniester exports weapons - illegally. What kinds of weapons? Vast quantities of Soviet shells and rockets. Newly manufactured machine guns, rocket launchers, RPGs, and more, produced in what are described as 'at least six sprawling factories'".
Moldova has little to no authority over Transdniester. The region, which holds much of Moldova's industrial capacity, is essentially run by a family-owned company - the Sopranos writ large. They supply endless streams of weapons clandestinely around the world, a function previously controlled by and occupied by state players, now gone entreprenurial in the post-Cold War world of the 21st century.
Naim links the rise in trafficking networks of all types with other transnational networks such as Al Quada and offers the strong suggestion that where one is found, the other is not far behind. He also outlines the difficulties in fighting these criminal networks with the highly centralized, nation-based bureaucracies that now exist (i.e. Homeland Security) and the frictions and problems they face manifest in the fact that they are merely states. For the illicit networks of the world, borders and regulations spell opportunity. They are not going away. They are driven by high profits and markets not by morals. Like it or not, the Sprawl is now here.
In short, Illicit is probably one of the most important books for anyone looking to understand this "brave new world" which we inhabit, and the new influences and players operating within it. I seriously recommend you crack it open...it will make you think carefully about connections the next time your download your tunes.
I also recommend cracking open The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman. Reading both books gives you a fairly complete picture of the impact, both legal and illegal, that freed-up, easily-moving capital and supply can have on the world's economies and on political stability.
August 10, 2015
It's a little "old" at this point, having been published ten years ago, but I can certainly see why this book was "named by The Washington Post as one of the best nonfiction books of 2005."
Illicit is a total eye-opener to the alternative economy that mushroomed ever since "globalization" and new technologies made it easier for all kinds of traffickers and other criminals to ply their trade.
I agree with Dr. Naim that the approaches employed by governments, including that of the United States, haven't worked and are unlikely to. Looking at this as a supply chain issue, it's clear that while huge, expensive efforts are expended to try and curtail the criminals, little if nothing is done about curbing demand. A War on Drugs? Try figuring out why the United States is the world's biggest market for illegal drugs--then doing something about that. Concerned about environmentalism and the dolphins? Yes, that's all very well, but when the Pacific fishing nations limited tuna fishing in the early 1990s, the Taiwanese fisherman whose lives were directly affected made up for their boats' unfilled capacity with migrants looking to escape from China. Concerned about counterfeiting? Then why is Canal Street in New York still the place to buy knocked-off goods....with no one doing anything to stop or jail the public who frequent these establishments? Or the tourists who visit places like Thailand to have sex with children.!
As Dr. Naim points out at the end of this book, Adam Smith was nothing if not pragmatic, pointing out that if they think they can get away with it, "not many people are scrupulous about smuggling."
He also offers a pragmatic solution with respect to those currently illegal activities that we should perhaps turn a blind-eye to, or ease up on. Why not decriminalize illegal workers? Counterfeiting? The use of marijuana and other "soft" drugs? The answer to which (surprise, surprise) is "politics."
This book is a huge eye-opener. I hadn't, for example, realized that there are 18,000 separate police forces operating in the United States, 60 of them nationally. Then we wonder why we're not making headway against the criminals when you can't even get the CIA and FBI to play nicely together.
As the author points out, "The public has little way of visualizing what exactly these (terrorist) networks are, how prevalent they can be, and how far into daily life they can reach." But you will, if you read this book!
Illicit is a total eye-opener to the alternative economy that mushroomed ever since "globalization" and new technologies made it easier for all kinds of traffickers and other criminals to ply their trade.
I agree with Dr. Naim that the approaches employed by governments, including that of the United States, haven't worked and are unlikely to. Looking at this as a supply chain issue, it's clear that while huge, expensive efforts are expended to try and curtail the criminals, little if nothing is done about curbing demand. A War on Drugs? Try figuring out why the United States is the world's biggest market for illegal drugs--then doing something about that. Concerned about environmentalism and the dolphins? Yes, that's all very well, but when the Pacific fishing nations limited tuna fishing in the early 1990s, the Taiwanese fisherman whose lives were directly affected made up for their boats' unfilled capacity with migrants looking to escape from China. Concerned about counterfeiting? Then why is Canal Street in New York still the place to buy knocked-off goods....with no one doing anything to stop or jail the public who frequent these establishments? Or the tourists who visit places like Thailand to have sex with children.!
As Dr. Naim points out at the end of this book, Adam Smith was nothing if not pragmatic, pointing out that if they think they can get away with it, "not many people are scrupulous about smuggling."
He also offers a pragmatic solution with respect to those currently illegal activities that we should perhaps turn a blind-eye to, or ease up on. Why not decriminalize illegal workers? Counterfeiting? The use of marijuana and other "soft" drugs? The answer to which (surprise, surprise) is "politics."
This book is a huge eye-opener. I hadn't, for example, realized that there are 18,000 separate police forces operating in the United States, 60 of them nationally. Then we wonder why we're not making headway against the criminals when you can't even get the CIA and FBI to play nicely together.
As the author points out, "The public has little way of visualizing what exactly these (terrorist) networks are, how prevalent they can be, and how far into daily life they can reach." But you will, if you read this book!
June 24, 2012
An eye-opening look at how organized crime groups have atomized into specialized fields like corporations. Almost every process and leg of a criminal enterprise can be outsourced to contractors and subcontractors of slave traffickers, organ "donors," and brand counterfeiters.
One observation that author didn't explore nearly enough (until his interview in Foreign Policy magazine) was that globalized organized crime, no matter what lawless frontier they operated in, they necessarily have to wash their cash in the organized world. Therefore, cartels don't want to overthrow governments, but to just keep them at a functional level to launder their profits. The chapter on governmental responses is depressing indeed. In many cases, criminal networks thrive because of the failure of different jurisdictions to coordinate or share information.
The footnotes alone contain rich sources for further research. A depressing look at what humans continue to do to each other to this day.
One observation that author didn't explore nearly enough (until his interview in Foreign Policy magazine) was that globalized organized crime, no matter what lawless frontier they operated in, they necessarily have to wash their cash in the organized world. Therefore, cartels don't want to overthrow governments, but to just keep them at a functional level to launder their profits. The chapter on governmental responses is depressing indeed. In many cases, criminal networks thrive because of the failure of different jurisdictions to coordinate or share information.
The footnotes alone contain rich sources for further research. A depressing look at what humans continue to do to each other to this day.
December 14, 2010
Illicit gives an in coverage of current global illegal trade markets.
The author provides informative and well researched information of global illegal trade of all commodities, and how financial and commodity markets work and fluctuate in response to changing legal and social behaviours. He also details the limtiations of various governments to control illicit trade, and finishes with a frightening but realistic speculation of the future.
The author provides informative and well researched information of global illegal trade of all commodities, and how financial and commodity markets work and fluctuate in response to changing legal and social behaviours. He also details the limtiations of various governments to control illicit trade, and finishes with a frightening but realistic speculation of the future.
October 29, 2007
Good stuff - a really good overview of globalization from the perspective of law enforcement. Naim shows surprising links between different kinds of criminal enterprises - bootlegging and terrorism, for example. He also shows ways in which criminal activity is becoming more and more embedded not only in the international economy, but in the structure of some states.
March 25, 2010
fascinating look at the global networks that have risen, trafficking in drugs, people, weapons, garbage, counterfeit goods, money, and legal goods as well.
a look at how interconnected our world has become, some of the ways that traffickers exploit that interconnectedness, and what we can do about it...
fascinating.
a look at how interconnected our world has become, some of the ways that traffickers exploit that interconnectedness, and what we can do about it...
fascinating.
April 26, 2011
An eye opening account of the trade in arms, drugs, humans, ideas, body parts, animals and every other imaginable item of value behind the curtain of international markets. Illicit trade will always exist, the question is when the world will shift its long failed strategy of curbing supply, to reducing demand.
February 12, 2020
This book basically explains the adverse effects of the changes in economic policies at an all-encompassing global level during the '90s through references to liberalization & globalization and how the consequent aspects of this phenomenon have become intertwined with our daily lives and continue to influence everything around us even to this day.
November 28, 2007
very interesting, but it repeats the same notions over and over, which is either a good way to ensure researchers get all the basic information no matter how limited their search and brief their reading. or, it is a good way to pad the book so it's a longer read and feels more substantial.
December 13, 2007
Covers the same theme as the Coen Bros. movie "No Country for Old Men". Tens of millions of dollars for illegal drugs, gambling,etc. are moving to global cartels, who are amassing power. Global cartels are time bombs ticking.
April 4, 2008
Amazing book by the Editor in Chief of Foreign Policy (Venezuelan). Analyzes the links amongst all of the different trafficking networks across the globe and the prevalecence of this practice worldwide.
January 3, 2009
A pain to read, but worthwhile if you can handle grimacing a lot. I found myself thinking about the current global financial endo and wondering how what Naim covers in his book (published in '05) will be effected.
January 3, 2011
A very interesting book about the major illicit traffic of the world. Should be read. It is obvious that illicit traffic cannot be stopped, too much of the world economy depends on it. Moises Naim is from Venezuela working in the US. He writes English well. He is a great speaker.
January 26, 2012
This is a topic that interests me greatly, and the book was filled with tons of information. I felt that Naim's style was quite repetitive though, and it was easy to get lost/bored. I think the book would have been more effective if it had been about 1/3 as long.
September 10, 2016
An excellent overview of how the changes in the 90's changed the dynamics of nation states and the criminal activity in them.
The idea that a nation state controls its own borders and is the fundamental building block of politics is challenged, as is our thinking about them.
The idea that a nation state controls its own borders and is the fundamental building block of politics is challenged, as is our thinking about them.
April 26, 2007
Good starter on the problem of the black market around the world, but in the end it's a lot like Foreign Policy -- just a start without a ton of substance behind it, making you wish there was more.
September 25, 2007
Fascinating and worrysome...
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