The Italian Mafia - Research Paper Example

Task: The Italian Mafia Introduction One of the most powerful and invincible form of organized crime in Italy from time in memorial has been the Italian mafia and specifically the Sicilian Cosa Nostra, which is still a very powerful force in Italy. Most people have spoken against this form of organized crime, and others have even gone ahead to demonstrate forming active groups that advocate against the mafia. However, the organization has been quietly operating in and outside Italy hence making it very difficult to track them down. Additionally, it has vast resources that enable it perform very complex operations while keeping a very low profile. The kind of operation the mafia carries out is highly sophisticated and goes far much wider than just Italy as a country. Furthermore, there four more forms of mafia organizations in Italy. These include the Ndrangheta, the Apulian, Socra Corona Unita and Camorra. These mafias deal with a range of businesses across Italy both legal and illegal businesses. Additionally, they have greatly manifested their presence in the United States of America also dealing with a range of businesses. However, these are made up of family members and people who are related. Furthermore, they have a code which each family member in the mafia has to follow to the letter, if not, he or she is considered an outcast. Mafia Organizations in Italy The Italian mafia organizations are responsible for many wrongdoings across the globe, as they are involved in impunity and are capable of killing anybody who is considered a threat or who is trying to crash them. Moreover, they have a hierarchy or a chain of command in all their decision making processes which they adhere to strictly. Succession is clearly defined by the family ties and power automatically shifts to the firstborn son once the father dies. However, the members of these mafias protect their wealth and power at all costs even if it means killing anyone who meddles in their business. Additionally, they believe that they have built their empires for a long time and not even the government can take it from them as much as they are committing these crimes. These mafia organizations are not known by anybody; they work mysteriously and one cannot clearly identify who is in the mafia, as most of the people involved run legitimate businesses and are very well respected in the society hence making it very difficult to differentiate them from the other loyal citizens. Furthermore, they have access to government officers and can get any information that they require. Due to this, it makes it very difficult for the government to track these organizations down and bring them to justice. These organizations are so secretive that they even control the marriages of there daughters and closely monitor their husbands. Sometimes the husbands are never introduced into the family business, and they are kept in the dark. One cannot deny the fact that mafia-type organizations are deeply rooted in Italy and have even extended into the government. For instance, the former Prime Minister of Italy Mr. Giulio Andreotti was charged for associating with mafia organizations. However, he was acquainted when the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence to tie him to the mafia organizations. Consequently, the most recent case is that of the Sicily president who was charged and convicted of associating and providing assistance to mafia organizations. He was sentenced to a five-year jail term in 2008. They fact remain that these mafia organizations spread terror and fear among the people trying to gain power and amerce wealth illegally. Moreover, they work with impunity and have no regard for the law. The mafia organizations aim at marking their territories and area of control. However, other features of mafia organizations include their code of honor for instance the Cosa Nostra mafia has ometra which means the duty of silence. They highly uphold this code and respect it hence making them invisible and hard to track down by authorities. Additionally, they have the rights and duties that they follow; for instance, to respect the wives of other members, not to be associated or be in the company of police and avoid going to bars or social places. These organizations have posed a great challenge to the Italian authorities and even other authorities globally because of the way they operate and carry out their operations. However, after the murders of Mr. Giovanni Falcone and that of Mr. Paolo Borsellino in 1992 and the bombing of Italy’s mainland, the opinion of the public in Italy changed hence making the Italian authorities beef up the security and intensify the crack down of these mafia organizations. For this reason, the Italian authorities established a special unit to deal with these organized crime organizations. They called the special unit Anti-mafia law enforcement agency. Furthermore, there was the enactment of new pieces of legislation to govern this menace, for example, the detention of mafia bosses. The intensified crack down of these illegal mafia groups in Italy has not been in vain. It has paid off by the arrests the authorities made of the Cosa Nostra boss in the year 2006 and the consequent arrest of the Ndrangheta boss in the year 2008. Additionally, the arrests of other members of these mafia organizations have been made by the authorities, but because they are very insignificant in the massive and wide spread organization they are not documented. The mafia organizations have also experienced a serious blow after their goods being confiscated by the Italian authorities hence affecting their cash flow. Due to this, their activities have been curtailed, and their operations have been slowed down. However, this does not mean that they will not survive; they are still a major contributor of clime in Italy. They operate a large amount of money in their home country. A report released in 2007 stated that the mafia organization control close to 90.5 billion euros per annum, and this adds up to seven percent of the Italy GDP. Mafia Organizations in Italy In Italy, there are four well established and well known mafia organizations which some may term as the most notorious. Additionally, they are well organized highly efficient and have a well elaborate hierarchy. These mafia organizations have been the longest surviving in Italy and are the most wide spread in terms of membership and region control (Walsh, 116). These mafia organizations include the Ndrangheta, the Apulian, Cosa Nostra and Camorra. Cosa Nostra has a membership base of approximately 5,500 members and 903 inhabitants per Mafioso. Whereas, Ndrangheta has a membership base of approximately 6,000 members in total and 345 inhabitants per Mafioso. Additionally, Camorra has a membership base of approximately 6,700 and 840 inhabitants per Mafioso. Finally, the Apulian comes in last with a membership base of 2,000. However, looking at these figures it is clear that the Camorra is the largest mafia organization in Italy with a membership base of 6,700 members while closely followed by Ndrangheta which has a membership of 6,000 and lastly the other two Cosa Nostra and Apulian with 5,500 and 2,000 members respectively. The interesting part of these mafia organization is the number of inhabitants per Mafioso. For instance, the Camorra is the largest but has 840 members per Mafioso while Cosa Nostra is the third largest but has close to 903 inhabitants per Mafioso. This shows that as much as they are all mafia organizations, they have different forms of organization and code that the members follow. Additionally, their operations are different. They are engaged in different criminal activities and have different territorial boundaries. These organizations have their influence and power spread to other countries like the United States where they continue to carry out their activities. However, in the recent time they have become even more sophisticated due to having very well educated members with good professional background in various fields for instance lawyers and other respectable members of the society. The Cosa Nostra The Cosa Nostra is believed to have been established in the year 1838 in Sicily. Currently, the mafia organization has manifested itself in Palermo and Trapani which are also places of origin. Additionally, many people believe that it is one of the most dangerous criminal organizations in Sicily (Lupo 2). This is not because it is made up of a large number of members but the sophisticated structure it is made up of. The mafia organization has spread it roots not only in Sicily but to Italy and other parts of the world. However, they have lost a significant amount of power due to several circumstances, and as a result, currently, they are not considered to be the most dangerous organized criminal organization in Italy. The Ndrangheta has comfortably assumed the position hence being considered by many as the most dangerous criminal organization in Italy currently. The Cosa Nostra can be traced back to the 19th century. However, the question remains as to how it came into existence. The Cosa Nostra mafia originated from a group of people called gabellotti who were hired by landowners to collect taxes from peasants. The landowners had dominated the local authority in Sicily. Additionally, these landowners were leasing their land to local peasants for a specified fee. However, the gabellotti used to charge the peasants higher that the stipulated amount hence keeping the excess. This habit went on for decades but when Sicily got proper governance, which restored order and justice to the land, the gabellotti could not continue with their extortion because it was illegal. Since then they have tried to establish links with politicians so that they can avoid being prosecuted. This was the beginning of the Cosa Nostra mafia organization. Characteristics of the Cosa Nostra The Cosa Nostra is an organization that takes the shape of a pyramid and is also vertical at the bottom of the pyramid is the family. The family structure forms the basis of the organization. However, specific territories are controlled and managed by straight forward elected or appointed family members (Shantty and Patit 254). Consequently, leaders are elected democratically with laid down procedures for membership. However, democracy has been violated several times in circumstances where individuals are chosen due to their experience and skills instead of the number of votes. As a result, the most sensitive and key roles are always given to the same people several times and they occupy these positions for a longtime. Additionally, the organization has its headquarters in Palermo and all the decision-making processes take place there. However, to emulate the American La Cosa Nostra the Sicilian Cosa Nostra adjusted it structure to accommodate the commission, which was mandated to solve family and individual disputes which occurred in the organization. Additionally, the commission prosecuted other serious wrongdoings in the organization and breaking the mafia code. The other main reason as to why the Cosa Nostra mafia revised its structure was to avoid further prosecution by the authorities and defections by members. However, the organization still follows the norms and traditions that were laid down by the previous members of the group. Furthermore, they still operate under the same code except for some minor changes due to the changing times and the evolution of technology. They are employing more advanced techniques in running their operations and mode of management. For this reason, the group has become more wide spread and unknown, but their terror is felt in several regions. The Process of Joining Cosa Nostra The Cosa Nostra is a very complex and deeply rooted mafia organization. Due to this reason very little is known of it to the public. Sometimes, it is mysterious, and nobody can tell who is in it and who is not. They hold a strong code of secrecy and silence hence one cannot easy point out or know who is in the mafia and how is not. Additionally, they have a form of brotherhood among themselves. However, joining this organization as a new member is a rigorous process that takes a lot of time and a critical procedure has to be followed for one to become a member also known as a “brother”. The process starts with long periods of observation and determination of whether a person is worthy to become a member before the initiation ceremony begins. It is the organization to choose the individual and not the individual presenting him or herself to the organization. After one has gone through the initiation process and has been accepted by the organization to become a member, he must strictly adhere to the code and conduct himself in an amicable manner because the organization perceives itself as men of great honor. Additionally, he has to follow all the rules and regulations. How Cosa Nostra has Transformed From the day, the organization was established, back in the 19th century, the mafia has evolved greatly. Additionally, it has faced several challenges and overcome several obstacles. It has come a long way from 1975 when the members were called men of honor and the organization used to operate in the rural setup. However, it moved to the urban setting and established its operations in urban areas and other parts of the world. Additionally, the activities that the mafia has been involved in have greatly evolved with the change in leadership and generation. Currently, the organization engages in several activities including money laundering selling drugs and trying to get into politics (United Nations 254). The mafia has evolved and does not act as an anti-state organization but as one of the players politically and economically (Dickie 73). However, the organization is still involved in racketeering. Furthermore, they engage in business with other mafias in Italy for instance drug trafficking and other forms of criminal activities in order to advance their political and economic position in the country. The organization has faced many challenges in the recent times. This includes key leaders of the organization being arrested and a lot of monitoring from the authorities. Additionally, most of their property has been confiscated by the government hence paralyzing its operations. However, this does not deter them from continuing with their operations. As a result, they have changed their tactics and made their operations more sophisticated. Furthermore, the have kept a low profile because they have realized that the crimes they commit attract a lot of attention hence making them more vulnerable. Most of the member are professional in their respective area of expertise, and others are businessmen. This makes them operate in a smart way and avoid conflict with the authorities. The Impact of Italian Mafia Globally It is not until 15th August 2007 that the world realized the full extent of the Italian mafias. This came as a shocker to the world especially Germany authorities when Ndrangheta mafia killed six men in Germany hence awakening the German authorities. The murders were carefully schemed and effectively executed as a retaliatory attack from the Ndrangheta mafia. This was a clear indication that the mafia organizations in Italy has spread the roots globally. This makes them very unpredictable as to where they would hit next or who they were targeting. The Cosa Nostra organization has families in several countries that have ties to the organization these countries include the United States, Germany Belgium, France and Latin America. There are several reasons, for this kind of expansion, some of the being greed, increase influence and power all over the world and fleeing authorities. Furthermore, the change of Italy in terms of legislation and the government has made the mafia environment more unbearable hence forcing most of them to flee to other countries in fear of arrest trial and conviction. Another reason is the mafia wars which cause others to leave Italy and seek refuge in other countries fearing for their lives. Due to the increased pressure by the Italian authorities the mafia organizations have relocated their investments and base to countries that have less legislation and tolerate their activities. As a result, they are advancing globally and are gaining ground at a very fast rate because their operation is quiet and unnoticed. For instance, Spain has legislation discrepancies concerning immigration hence creating a loop hole for the mafia organizations to greatly manifest itself in Spain. Additionally, international relations and diplomacy between countries, which encourages the freeing borders and allowing free movement of people and goods has also enabled mafia organizations to, freely, expand their criminal activities into new territories and establish new bases. Furthermore, with the increase in globalization, it has made it easier for mafia organizations to operate efficiently and organize crime just as multi-nationals operate their business globally, Technological advancement had also brought a major boost to mafia organizations because they use technology to execute their criminal activities. Conclusion In conclusion, Italian authorities have made major stride in cubing the terror attacks that mafia organization unleash. They have also managed to curtail most of the mafia operations in Italy by arresting the key leaders of these organizations. However, the mafia organizations are also evolving and taking adoptive measures against the Italian authorities for instance the Cosa Nostra has shown from history that it can be able to survive a crisis and still get back on its feet. For this reason, the Cosa Nostra is not going away anytime soon. They have been around for a very long time until this has been instilled in the Italian culture. However, the main reason for their long survival is because of their political ties with politicians; they have also corrupted institutions and have government officials on their payroll. Additionally, after Cosa Nostra has faced a crisis it emerges stronger and develops more sophisticated ways that the government cannot trace hence people call them the invisible. This is due to their secrecy and silence. However, it is important to not that different mafia organizations have different rules, code of conduct and structure organization hence making it significantly difficult for the government to, effectively, crack all of them down. Works Cited Dickie, John. Cosa Nostra: a history of the Sicilian Mafia. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Print. Lupo, Salvatore. History of the mafia. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. Print. Shanty, Frank, and Patit Paban Mishra. Organized crime: from trafficking to terrorism. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO, 2008. Print. United Nations. The globalization of crime: a transnational organized crime threat assessment. Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2010. Print. Walsh, George S.. Screening the mafia: masculinity, ethnicity and mobsters from the godfather to The Sopranos. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 2010. Print. Read More