ABSTRACT
Transnational organized crime has become a major issue on the international agenda. In 1994, under the auspices of the United Nations, a World Ministerial Conference on the issue was held, rather symbolically, in Naples. Since then, with the support of member states, the United Nations has initiated the process of formulating a convention on transnational organized crime. It is also the topic of an increasing number of high-level meetings such as those of the P-8; there is a journal devoted exclusively to the subject; and it is a source of concern for governments in countries as diverse as South Africa, Mexico, Russia, Colombia and China. In some assessments, transnational organized crime is even characterized as a security problem rather than simply a challenge to law and order. In states in transition in particular, it is seen as a challenge to the process of democratization and the moves towards a market economy.
