International Crime: Russian Organized Crime's Role and U.S. Interests (CRS Report for Congress)
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| Release Date |
Oct. 30, 1998 |
| Report Number |
98-907 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Francis T. Miko, Foreign Affairs and National Defense Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
International crime has become a major problem throughout the world. Transnational criminal
organizations have benefitted from the global economy, as well as the break-up of the Soviet empire
and birth of fragile new democracies, vulnerable to criminal exploitation. Russian criminal groups
have become increasingly active in Europe and North America, sometimes working with foreign
crime groups. They have engaged in money laundering and trafficking in arms, illegal goods, and
people.
A growing share of organized crime in the United States has foreign roots, including Russian
ones. Besides its direct costs to the United States, Russian crime threatens larger U.S. interests.
First among these is the successful democratic and market transformation of Russia and Eastern
Europe. Crime and corruption have undermined public support for democracy and the market
economy and played a role in the current Russian political and economic crisis. Russian criminals may
be fueling regional tensions and strengthening "rogue" regimes" with arms and other sanction
breaking trade. There is concern that they could seriously endanger international non-proliferation
efforts, if they get access to weapons of mass destruction for sale abroad.
Governments and international bodies are struggling to keep pace with what is now recognized
as a global security threat. The State Department and FBI have been given the lead U.S. role abroad
in the fight against international crime. The United States now has a permanent crime fighting
presence in some 34 countries, including Russia, for purposes of investigation, training, and other
cooperation. The United States has worked closely with Russia, and international organizations to
curb Russian international criminal activities.
In May 1998, the President announced a new International Crime Control Strategy. Experts
agree that further steps may be needed to fight transnational crime, including better intelligence and
law enforcement cooperation. Some experts advocate more crime fighting assistance and training to
Russia, multinational task forces to fight crime across borders, and a more offensive and even
preemptive approach to fighting transnational crime. Effective cooperation is hampered by the fact
that most countries and jurisdictions are still reluctant to cede authority to outside or multinational
organizations.
The U.S. Congress has demonstrated concern over trends in Russian and other international
crime and supported assistance to Russia, the former Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe in the law
enforcement area. The Administration's proposed International Crime Control Act of 1998
( S. 2303 ), a package of measures to enhance the U.S. ability to fight
international
crime, was introduced in the Senate on June 14, 1998, by Senator Patrick Leahy but not acted upon
by the 105th Congress.
