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11 Brown J. World Aff. 101 (2004-2005)
The Unholy Trinity: Transnational Crime, Corruption, and Terrorism

handle is hein.journals/brownjwa11 and id is 353 raw text is: The Unholy Trinity: Transnational Crime, Corruption, and Terrorism LOUISE SHELLEY Director Transnational Crime and Corruption Center LONGSTANDING TRANSNATIONAL CRIME GROUPS AND their more recently formed counter- parts have a very different relationship to the state and to terrorism.' The older crime groups, often in long-established states, have developed along with their states and are dependent on existing institutional and financial structures to move their products and invest their profits. With the exception of Colombia, rarely do the large established crime organizations link with terrorist groups, because their long-term financial inter- ests require the preservation of state structures.2 Through corruption and movement 101 into the lawful economy, these groups minimize the risk of prosecution and therefore do not fear the power of state institutions. In contrast, the newer transnational crime groups, often originating in post-conflict situations, thrive in a state of chaos and on- going conflict. In these regions where the shadow economy is dominant, the crime groups are dominant actors in the shadow economy. The newer crime groups in ungovernable regions are now forging alliances with terrorist organizations; because the crime groups and terrorist organizations do not possess long-term financial strategies or long-term political horizons, neither the crimi- nals nor the terrorists need fear ineffective and corrupt law enforcement regimes in conflict regions. Established crime groups have developed in Asia, Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the United States; no region of the world, nor any political system, has prevented their emergence, or succeeded in suppressing them. Therefore, international crime groups based in China, Japan, Columbia, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Italy, and the United LousE sHEu.F is the founder and director of the Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCC), and a leading U.S. expert on organized crime and corruption in the former Soviet Union. Dr. Shelly is a Professor in the Department of Justice, Law, and Society (School of Public Affairs) and the School of International Service at American University Copyright C 2005 by the Brown Journal ofWorldAffairs WINTER/SPRING 2005 * VOLUME XI, ISSUE 2