Abstract
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union at the end of 1991, the American stereotype of the “Evil Empire” has been replaced by quite another image of the new Russia: that of “mafia.”1 Western images of the mafia zero in on “criminal” activities,2 widespread corruption, and their potential threats. As in many stereotypes, that of the new Russia as mafia-influenced holds some truth: Payments to governmental officials are common; contract murders and trafficking in drugs and prostitutes are widespread; the trade in black-market weapons and nuclear materials across borders is widely reported and often presented by Western media and governments as a national security threat. Countering eastern European organized crime and corruption and introducing the “rule of law” has become a growth industry in the United States and some other Western nations.
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© 2003 Philip C. Parnell and Stephanie C. Kane
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Wedel, J.R. (2003). Mafia Without Malfeasance, Clans Without Crime. In: Parnell, P.C., Kane, S.C. (eds) Crime’s Power. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403980595_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403980595_10
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