Publication

This monograph identifies the roots of organized crime in post-Ba’athist Iraq in an authoritarian and corrupt state dominated by Saddam Hussein and subject to international sanctions. The author also explains the rise of organized crime after the US invasion in terms of two distinct waves. The first wave followed the collapse of the state and was accompanied by the breakdown of social control mechanisms and the development of anomie. The second wave was driven by anarchy, insecurity, political ambition and the imperatives of resource generation for militias, insurgents and other groups. The analysis emphasizes the vulnerability of conflict and post-conflict situations to organized crime and the requirement for a holistic strategy in which security, development and the rule of law complement one another.