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## **Introduction**

 The rapid spread of international crime since the end of the Cold War is unprecedented   in scale, facilitated by globalization and technological advances, and poses   a significant challenge to the United States and democratic governments and   free market economies around the world. The President has identified international   crime as a direct and immediate threat to the national security of the United   States. To meet this challenge, the Departments of Justice, State, and Treasury--working   closely with numerous federal agencies--jointly developed a comprehensive national   strategy to fight international crime and reduce its impact on Americans. The   International Crime Control Strategy, which was released in May 1998, provides   a dynamic action plan that serves as a roadmap for a coordinated, effective,   long-term attack on international crime. The Strategy's eight overarching goals,   supported by implementing objectives, are as follows: - Extend the first line of defense beyond US borders.    Protect US borders by attacking smuggling and smuggling-related crimes.   Deny safehaven to international criminals.   
- Counter international financial crime.    Prevent criminal exploitation of international trade.   Respond to emerging international crime threats.   
- Foster international cooperation and the rule of law.    Optimize the full range of US efforts. 
 At the direction of the President and as part of the International Crime Control   Strategy, a US Government interagency working group has prepared the following   comprehensive assessment of the threat posed by international crime to Americans   and their communities, US businesses and financial institutions, and global   security and stability. The assessment is divided into five parts: - Chapter I addresses the  Global Context of International Crime , identifying     those factors--including the implications of a changing world, the greater     sophistication of criminal organizations, and institutional shortcomings elsewhere     in the world--that have contributed to the growing problem of international     crime.    Chapter II provides a comprehensive overview of specific **International     Crimes Affecting US Interests--**including their effect on American lives     and livelihood, costs to US business interests at home and abroad, and impact     on US national security interests around the world.  Chapter III addresses 
Worldwide Areas of International Criminal Activity
,     particularly as source areas for specific crimes and bases of operations for     international criminal organizations. This section includes an analysis of     the driving factors in different countries and regions that allow criminal     organizations and international criminal activity to flourish, as well as     an assessment of the impact of international criminal activity on stability     in these countries and regions, including threats to the growth and nurturing     of democratic and free market systems. Finally, this section discusses the     characteristics, criminal operations, and international presence of organized     crime groups originating in these countries or regions.  
- Chapter IV addresses the  Consequences of International Crime for US Strategic     Interests , including the ability to work cooperatively with foreign governments     and the problem of criminal safehavens, kleptocracies, and failed states.   Chapter V offers a perspective on the **Future of International Crime**     as it develops in the next 10 years.
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