But while this state of affairs is welcome, it is not without risks. Problems that originate beyond our borders swiftly can become problems at home. While the scourges of communism and fascism are dead or discredited, malignant strains of evil endure in newly potent forms. Indeed, our battle today against intolerance and inhumanity is just as urgent as the battle our grandparents fought in Russia, our fathers fought in World War II and the ADL has been fighting since its inception. Groups that once operated in only one country or region, or engaged in only one type of criminal activity, are now becoming global and diversified.
Drug traffickers smuggle machine guns.
Terrorists sell counterfeit hundred dollar bills. Of the eight organized crime cartels the FBI has identified in America today, six are headquartered and directed overseas. Left unchecked, these transnational syndicates of crime distort free economies, derail fragile democracies, and degrade our societies with corruption and violence. As the President warned the member states of the United Nations early week, no one is immune. From Japan to Argentina, from Paris to St. Petersburg, decent men and women have been the victims of organized crime.