Synopsis
In this serious--and eye-opening--study of modern-day piracy and smuggling, Moises Naim argues that illegal activity once considered an annoying "underground economy" (and a matter for law enforcement) has become a serious source of disruption to the global market. Naim shows how globalization, despite its good points, has made it possible for entrepreneurial lawbreakers to "grow" their businesses, and he explains why that is problematical. In the central part of the book, Naim describes the extent of the illicit economy and its various manifestations: small arms and nuclear weapons, drugs, money laundering, body parts, bootlegged and pirated intellectual property, and human slavery. Each works in its own world, but all take advantage of technology and a decentralized way of operating, and they often intersect. Naim argues that governments are falling behind in the fight against illicit trade. Their hands are tied by outdated laws and by international borders, and they suffer from entrenched ways of doing things and a failure to imagine the scope of the problem. Naim offers solutions, some based on new technologies, but his main point is that illicit trade is a global problem requiring, from governments, global solutions. Naim comes to his topic from the perspective of his editorship at the esteemed journal Foreign Policy. "Ultimately," he says, "it is the fabric of society that is at stake."
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2005-10-18 |
| Size | | Length: | 340 pages | | Height: | 9.8 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.5 in | | Weight: | 21.6 oz |
Publisher's Note
Pick up a newspaper anywhere, any day, and you will find news about illegal migrants (and near slaves), drug busts, smuggled weapons, laundered money or counterfeit goods. In the past decade, the global trade in these commodities has metastasized, as the financial, political and technological resources deployed by the traders has increased by unfathomable orders of magnitude. These new "wars of globalization" pit hamstrung government bureaucracies against agile, well-financed, politically powerful and ever-shifting networks of highly dedicated individuals. Religious and political zeal drive terrorists, but it turns out that simple profit is no less a motivator for murder, mayhem, and international disorder.
ILLICIT is the first book to grapple with the challenge of this disturbing underground. Expanded from a high-impact cover story in Foreign Policy, it shows how we got to this dangerous point -- including the interconnections between these illegal enterprises and the way they endlessly recombine to breed new lines of business, feed off political instability, foster violence, enable terrorists and even "own" governments. From pirated films and CDs to weapons of mass destruction, the author reveals the inner workings of these networks and shows the new realities that make them so successful and hard -- if still necessary -- to defeat.
Like Thomas Friedman's The Lexus and the Olive Tree, ILLICIT offers a fresh, lively and urgent vision of a world in the midst of breakneck change. It will alter the way its readers understand the world and ignite the debate at the highest levels.
Industry Reviews
"In this sweeping and informative work,...Naim demystifies the global trade in illegal goods and services...."
Publishers Weekly (08/15/2005)
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