DEMOCRACY AND SECURITY in Southeastern Europe, No 1

Re vi ew
Orga ni zed Cri me
in Ka ki sto cra cy
By: Sead Turčalo
Sma ji ć, Mi rza (2010):
Orga ni zed cri me in BiH.
Tra nsi ti onal di le mmas,
Sa ra je vo: Fa cu lty of
Po li ti cal Sci ences.
For almo st two de ca des, Bo snia and He rze go vi na has
be en a co untry cha ra cte ri zed by po li ti cal tu rmo il, eco -
no mic and so ci al cha os and co nfu si on. In such co ndi ti -
ons, de cla ra ti ve de mo cra cy tra nsfo rms into its
oppo si te - ka ki sto cra cy. Ka ki sto cra cy by itse lf is a bla -
ck ho le in de mo cra cy which ope ns a do or to ano ther,
pa ra llel wo rld, in which orga ni zed cri me appe ars as
one of the key fi gu res that thre ate ns to de stru ct an
alre ady fra gi le sta te co mple te ly.
The fa ct that orga ni zed cri me is not a thre at only in
fo rmer co mmu ni st and so ci ali st sta tes hit by a fa iled
tra nsi ti on into ma rket de mo cra cy, or in de ve lo pi ng co -
untri es hit by wa rs and co nsta nt inte rnal po li ti cal co -
nfli cts, can also be su ppo rted by the de fi ni ti on of this
phe no me non in stra te gic do cu me nts of the EU and
USA as one of the key thre ats. Acco rdi ng to the la te -
st Eu ro ba ro me ter re se arch, the ci ti ze ns of EU co untri -
es pe rce ive orga ni zed cri me as the bi gge st thre at after
une mplo yme nt and eco no mic si tu ati on, yet in the
abse nce of the glo bal fi na nci al cri sis, the ra nki ng wo -
uld pro ba bly be di ffe re nt in fa vo ur of orga ni zed cri me,
as sho wn by re se arch from 2001.
Ho we ver, even wi th all the si mi la ri ti es that Bo snia and
He rze go vi na, as a co untry in tra nsi ti on, and the de ve -
lo ped co untri es of the We ste rn he mi sphe re expe ri -
ence in thre ats, the re is one impo rta nt di ffe re nce.
Whi le even a cu rso ry re vi ew of pri nted and ele ctro -
nic me dia wi ll show that the phra se “orga ni zed cri me”
is one of the mo st fre qu ently used in Bo snia-He rze go -
vi na ’s pu blic di sco urse, a se arch on the re gi onal Coope
ra ti ve Onli ne Bi bli ogra phic System & Se rvi ces
(CO BI SS) li bra ry pla tfo rm re ve als that the re was only
one bo ok pu bli shed in Bo snia co mpre he nsi ve ly de ali -
ng wi th the ma tter. On the other ha nd, in the USA
and in EU co untri es the re are do ze ns of expe rt and
sci ence ma ga zi nes de ali ng wi th the qu esti on of orga ni -
zed cri me, and in the wo rld’s bi gge st onli ne bo oksto -
re you wi ll fi nd so me 2,000 wo rks on the issue in
Engli sh alo ne. The re fo re, altho ugh se cu ri ty thre ats are
the sa me, the abi li ty to de al wi th them in pro fe ssi onal
sci enti fic ci rcles and de ve lop ade qu ate co unte rme asu -
res and re acti on stra te gi es is ve ry di ffe re nt.
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