Russian organized crime and corruption
Subtitle: Putin's challenge : Global Organized Crime Project
By: project chair, William H. Webster ; project director, Arnaud de Borchgrave ; task force director and editor, Frank J. Cilluffo.
Contributors: De Borchgrave, Arnaud.; Cilluffo, Frank J.; CSIS Global Organized Crime Project
Series: CSIS task force report
Publisher: Center for Strategic and International Studies
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Washington, D.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 73
Subjects: Organized crime -- Russia (Federation); Political corruption -- Russia (Federation)
Other titles: Putin's challenge.
Description: Following up on its highly publicized report of 1997 -- Russian Organized Crime--the CSIS Transnational Threats Initiative has taken a new look at the issue and found that, today, the Russian Federation is dominated by a stifling blend of corrupt officials, shady businessmen, and criminals. Russian organized crime continues to strangle legitimate business practices, and more than half the Russian commercial and banking sectors remain under its sway. Russia's prospects of embracing true democracy and a free-market economy -- prospects that seemed wholly realizable in the early 1990s -- now seem still more remote. Genuine democratic reforms, with the notable exception of the right to vote, are not deeply institutionalized and may be threatened by the Putin regime in the name of order. Political positions, especially those that provide opportunities for embezzlement and other forms of personal gain, are particularly valuable. Members of the so-called oligarchy of politically connected financiers wage constant warfare trying to influence the appointment of politicians favorable to their particular interests. Likewise, most of the Russian press either increasingly depend on the oligarchs or are controlled by the state. Taken together, all these factors degrade the image of democracy in the eyes of most Russians. The beginning of his presidency, therefore, offers Putin two stark choices : he can either consolidate or dismantle the kleptocracy.
Table of contents: title: Introduction. The Russian Federation as criminal-syndicalist state. The financial crisis of August 1998 : how did things get so bad? Russian organized crime goes regional. The expansion of Russian organized crime. Role of the West; title: The transformation of Russian organized crime. The role of the barter and shadow economies in the regions. The governors and the organized crime problem. Rise of the KGB. The expansion of ROC activity outside of Russia. Europe and the "gateway" of Central European States. Latin America. Middle East (Israel). North America. Inter-oc cooperation and competition. Alliances outside of Russia. Influx of transnational organized crime into Russia; title: The Russian Federation as a criminal-syndicalist state. The political sphere. Toward the August 1998 crash. Primakov and attempts at reform. The ouster of Primakov and the new government of corrupt officials. The "family". "Family" members' control of the levers of power in 1999. The Skuratov affair and the regional governors. Investigations by the Swiss Prosecutor's Office.  The economic sphere. Fimaco and the International Monetary Fund. The World Bank. Capital flight. The Russian banking system. Foreign direct investment climate. The dysfunctional economy. The social sphere. Increasing incidence of alcoholism and drug abuse. Prostitution. Trafficking in women. Increase HIV-aids cases; title: Difficulties combating Russian organized crime. The Russians. Political issues. Constitutional and legal issues. Only the good die young : the risks of advocating for reform. The United States. The politicization of U.S.  intelligence. Personalities over processes. Harvard University's Institute for International Development. The four failed U.S. efforts at constructing a Russia policy.  Toward the future; title: Recommendations. Summary of recommendations of the 1997 Russian Organized Crime Task Force report. Additional proposals for action. Policy. Legal. Law enforcement and legal training. Intelligence. Information technology and communications. International cooperation. Academic and nongovernmental organizations.