Comparative Perspective on Organized Crime - Case Study Example

Comparative Perspective on Organized Crime Organized crimes have secured one of the most stellar billings in the United s law enforcement history. The word Mafia, for instance, comes to mind whenever this subject is mentioned. Not a few literatures have already been written immortalizing their exploits. The novel which was later made into film The Godfather by Mario Puzo, is one of the most prolific of these, incorporating the Mafia in popular culture. This paper will particularly compare two Mafias that have come to haunt the criminal registries as early as the 19th century, namely: the Italian and the Russian Mafias. Our grounds for comparison will be in terms of organizational structure, operations, political significance and their respective cultures since sociologists insist they share a cultural underpinnings. Background The organized crime which came to be labeled as the mafia, regardless of racial grouping, owes its origin to the Italian mafia. This group was founded in Sicily and is also called the Cosa Nostra. It was established in the eastern part of the United States due to the onslaught of the Italian immigration in 19th century. Simply put, the mafia is a criminal secret society whose sole purpose is profit culled from various illegal activities. What distinguishes the mafia from other organized criminal groups is the cultural dimension to it. (Throsby 2001, p. 6) Mafias are identified by nationality such as the Italian mafia, Russian mafia or the Japanese Yakuza. In the book called, Understanding the Mafia, Joseph Farell (1997, p. 6) explained that mafia’s only aim is the enrichment and empowerment of the individual and “his family,” hence honor and success are inseparable. Also, another distinction relies on the fact that a characteristic of a mafia is that it performs governmental functions such as law enforcement and criminal justice- in spheres where the legal judicial system refuses to exercise power or is unable to do so. 1 The phenomenon of the mafia has actually generated extensive interest on the subject that anthropologists, scholars, historians, psychologists, social and political scientists and even economists are up in arms in interpreting their existence. Naturally, there is an ongoing debate over these organizations’ natures, but the “mafiologists” seem to agree that “the mafia is undoubtedly a complex, mysterious, multi-faceted phenomenon.” (Farrel) Organizational Structure To the detriment of the Sicilian people, their tradition came to be identified with the Italian Mafia. Its operation within the Sicilian society gave it the precise contours, rules, structures and codes identical to the Sicilian social strata and its base of the Sicilian family. (Farrel, p. 2) According to Thomas Milhorn(2004, p. 214), the structure of the Italian Mafia were united in a structured organization with crime families based on an order consisting of boss, underboss, consigliere, lieutenants, and soldiers. In a sense, it resembles a modern corporation since duties and responsibilities are disseminated downward through a chain of command that is organized in pyramid fashion.2 In contrast to the nature of the traditionalist Italian counterpart, the Russian mafia’s main members and leaders are consisted of former Soviet Army and KGB officers who were left jobless at the end of the Cold War and the Russian economic crash in 1990s. (“Mafia”) Although there were numerous Russian gangs prior to the 1990s operating in the black market, the depression of this period empowered the Russian mafia to expand due to the vitality of the Russian underworld. Instead of the fierce loyalty markings of an Italian mafia member, the Russian mafia, according to Pendleton (2001, p. 59) utilizes quasi-military ranks and enforces strict internal discipline. It lacks the kinship element that is present in the patriarchal organization of the Cosa Nostra. Also, even though majority of the Russian mafias are ethnic Russians, they are known to recruit other nationalities. This is in contrast to the hostility to outsiders which is a cornerstone of both the Old-World and New-World Italian mafia.3 Mafia Culture West et al. (2001, p. 135) argues that mafia must be viewed as a being, in the anthropological sense, a culture. They have enabled a code of belief and practice, and a hierarchy of values. In the Italian case for example, we cite the ornate ritual of initiation as a reference: The initiation ritual emerged from various sources, such as Catholic confraternities and Masonic Lodges in mid-nineteenth century Sicily and has hardly changed to this day. The Chief of Police of Palermo in 1875 reported that the man of honor to be initiated would be led into the presence of a group of bosses and underbosses. One of these men would prick the initiates arm or hand and tell him to smear the blood onto a sacred image, usually a saint. The oath of loyalty would be taken as the image was burned and scattered, thus symbolising the annihilation of traitors. This was confirmed by the first pentito, Tommaso Buscetta. (“Mafia”, 2006) Here marks another similarity the Russian mafia has with the Cosa Nostra. Elaborate rituals in forging shared marks of identity are also present in the organization. One of these is called vory ritual. This initiation is reserved to the leaders, not recruits which serves as “a marker of quality and commitment to the underworld, and evokes – in the eyes of other criminals – an honourable and distinguished tradition.” (Varese 2001, p. 188) Operations There is no fundamental difference in the way the Italian and the Russian mafias conduct their operations. The Italian mafia’s activities consist primarily of selling protection to clients while the Russian organization engages in the same business albeit in a more diversified manner. Malone and Berdal (2000, p. 55) states, for instance, that the Russians derive the bulk of their profits from protection rackets, controls of wholesale and retail trades, and the manipulation of the financial markets. These two mafias are both mindful of engaging in criminal activities beyond their normal realm of operations that might provoke strong response from the authorities. For instance, one of the Italian mafia’s rules is not to commit violence as much as possible. Malone and Berdal offers us an insight, explaining this attitude as logical because “their interests are not served in subverting the state’s provision of order overall. It is state-provided order that keeps their clients in business” (p. 55) Thus, mafia essentially freeride on state provision and banks on a strategy of non-violence, although maintaining a tough reputation. Corrupting the bureaucracy is also one of the commonalities between the two mafias as bribery is identified as one of the systematic features of their transactions. Anderson (1995) demonstrated this stressing that in Russia, all “illegal market activity was accompanied by gifts or bribes to highly placed authorities, ranging up to the ministerial level; local government chiefs; and, not least, provincial and possibly higher party secretaries and first secretaries.” An Italian mafioso, may coerce and bribe his way out of jail or buy favors among the agents of state. We should also remember that information is vital to the mafia survival. The Russian and the Italian mafia use the decisive role of bribery along with violence to ensure loyalty within its ranks. Political Dimension However, there is one significant difference between the two mafias in reference to the society where they are operating. While Cosa Nostra is purely criminal in nature, the Russian mafia has a political significance in Russia. Besides supporting political candidates, the Russian Mafia or its system of kryshi (paid-up “covers”) figures prominently as a supplementing force in the Russian society. To quote Alexei Yurchak: “To a large degree it has become constructed and experienced as a normal, necessary and even comforting presence in day-to-day life.” This phenomenon came about in the post-communist Russia where statelessness permeates. “Mafia kryshi do in fact deliver much-needed order, especially in form of relative security and reliability of business procedures and contracts.” (Yurchak, p. 98) Apparently, the role of the Russian mafia transcended from being a mere criminal organization to a group who has taken a role of filling the void in a state’s institutional and power structures. In an interview, Yurchak showed how most of the Russian social groups’ perceptions have shifted concerning the Russian mafia through the years: The kryshi behave in a much more civilized way than the indiscriminate Mafia groups of the early 1990s, who could simply demand random sum from a business, while the police could provide no protection. Today everyone is protected, and you can do business. (p. 98) Conclusion The Italian and the Russian mafia followed the same organizational pattern although differing in leadership approaches owing to their differing backgrounds. The most glaring example of this is when the Italian advocates family and patriarchal values while the Russians enforce military discipline and fraternity. But being criminal organizations, it is not surprising to find their various commonalities – their use of violence, bribery to achieve desired ends. Furthermore, while the end result may have given the two organizations differing dimensions, the societies they have been operating in have polished their respective cultures, objectives and priorities. This impact provides most of the differences in each because their respective societies where they operate provide different situations, opportunities as well as limitations to contend with. The mafia and the organized crime is said to be a dark manifestation of culture. And, some say, it is what gives voice to an anxiety about statelessness, alongside other forms of insecurity. (Yurchak, p. 98) But as stated beforehand, the mafia, notwithstanding whether it is Russian or Italian, is a multi-dimensional and complicated phenomenon and, hence, could only be dealt with an equally complex solution which involves the social, economic and political fronts. Bibliography Anderson, Annelise. The Red Mafia: A Legacy of Communism. In Lazear, Edward P., ed. Economic Transition in Eastern Europe and Russia: Realities of Reform. Stanford, Calif: The Hoover Institution Press, 1995. Farrell, Joseph. Understanding the Mafia. Manchester University Press, 1997 "Mafia". Wikipedia. Retrieved 28 Nov 2006 from Malone, David and Berdal, Mats. Greed and Grievance: Economic Agenda in Civil Wars. Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000 Mannion, James. 101 Things You didn’t Know about The Mafia. Adams Media, 2005 Milhorn, Thomas. Crime: Computer Viruses to Twin Towers. Universal Publishers, 2004. Pendleton, Don. Shattered Trust: The Conspiracy Trilogy. Harlequin sales Corp, 2001 Throsby, Charles. Economics and Culture. Cambridge University Press, 2001. West, Rebecca, Baranski, Zygmunt, and Baranowski, Zygmuny. The Cambridge Companion to Modern Italian Culture. Cambridge University Press, 2001 Varese, Federico. The Russian Mafia. Oxford University Press, 2001. Yurchak, Alexei. Gagarin and the Rave Kids: Transforming Power, Identity, and Aesthetics in Post-Soviet Nightlife.In Barker, A.M.s ed. Consuming Russia: Popular Culture, Sex, and Society Since Gorbachev. Duke University Press, 1999 Read More