The New War by John Kerry

From the Publisher

The New War is a powerful warning that global crime is robbing us not only of our money but also of our way of life. As a result of his Senate investigations and access to law enforcement agencies, Senator John Kerry has seen the dark world of dirty money, violence, and corruption up close. In this groundbreaking book, he describes global crime organizations from Asia to South America, Europe to Africa, and shows why they have become one of the greatest threats to our national security. Kerry takes us inside major crime organizations that now operate on the global stage: the Russian "Mafiya," which includes much of the old Soviet KGB; the Chinese triads, whose tentacles reach into many American cities; the Colombian drug cartels; the Japanese yakuza; and the Sicilian Mafia. Most important, in The New War Kerry maintains that the aim of the global crime lords is to gain control of the very institutions that are the core of civil society - the courts, legislatures, banks, and media in their own countries as well as in the nations where they operate. And he demonstrates how an antiquated legal system is struggling to fight twenty-first-century criminal enterprises. This is a hard-hitting and critical assessment of current government policies for dealing with international crime. Kerry reveals the failures of both diplomacy and nerve that have crippled leaders in Washington and other Western capitals, as well as in Moscow and Beijing. He explains how law enforcement and judicial institutions must be reformed structurally to defeat vicious criminals. His recommendations are specific: Shut down offshore banks that launder and shelter criminal profits; regulateelectronic money transfers; expand the scope of extraterritorial jurisdiction for major crimes committed against a country's citizens overseas; use the CIA and other intelligence services to penetrate global crime organizations; share the seized assets of international criminals with governments that cooperate in fighting global crime.

Publishers Weekly

Neither the American government nor the average American citizen gives enough attention to the threat international crime and terrorism pose to the country, argues Kerry (D-Mass.), a member of the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics, and International Operations from 1987 to January 1997. He maintains that a global criminal axis exists that is composed of five key players: the Italian Mafia, the Russian mobs, the Japanese yakuza, the Chinese triads and the Colombia cartels. The "big five" are forming alliances with criminals in other nations that will make it more difficult to curb the power of these organizations, which, according to Kerry, have as their goal "nothing less than taking over entire countries." The global crimes he lists in evidence are large and chilling, ranging from drug trafficking to money laundering to the sale of human kidneys. The most frightening development discussed by Kerry, however, is the easy access terrorists have to nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. The use of such weapons against an American city is a real possibility, he cautions. This is an informative, thought-provoking work in which Kerry argues persuasively that the U.S. must lead the way in developing a working system of international laws to battle transnational crime. (June)

Library Journal

In a cursory overview of international crime, Senator Kerry (D-Mass.) implausibly calls for foreign criminal law to be imported into the United States to prosecute nationals of other countries who plan crimes here then conduct them abroad. His rationale is that weak or corrupt countries cannot effectively prosecute crimes committed within their jurisdictions. At the same time, he suggests that crimes committed against Americans abroad be prosecuted here in "special courts." He also calls for transnational asset forfeiture, in which victimized countries would share in the forfeiture of assets seized in cooperating jurisdictions. While well intentioned, the book is short on specifics and contains no revelations about international crime. For general audiences.Harry Charles, Attorney at Law, St. Louis, Mo.

Kirkus Reviews

From one of the nation's top experts on international crime, Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), comes a fascinating overview of the newest generation of criminals and crimes that threaten America.

When average Americans think of a crime syndicate, they probably think of the old-style Italian Mafia of movies like Donnie Brasco. That, plus declining homicide figures nationwide, threatens to lull us into a false sense of security. According to Kerry, who until this year was the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics and International Operations, the menace of global crime is greater than ever before. In a richly anecdotal book drawn from his tenure as an insider in the war against crime, Kerry details the newest quintuplet of dangers, which he calls "The Big Five": the Italian Mafia, the Russian mobs, the Japanese Yakuza, the Chinese triads, and the Colombian drug cartels. He devotes chapters to each of these threats and explains their growing influence and the ominous signs of transcontinental cooperation among them. Of their significance, Kerry writes: "In strategy, sophistication and reach the criminal organizations of the late twentieth century function like transnational corporations and make the gangs of the past look like mom-and-pop operations." Other chapters are devoted to modern crimes like terrorism, money laundering, and illegal immigration, which the senator says threaten our very way of life. Kerry outlines a plan for meeting the new dangers, which includes the globalization of law enforcement and a "reengineering of international law" to allow countries to work together to fight criminals who ignore borders.

At its worst moments, the book smells like a political pitch for the 2000 presidential race; at its best, it is a bold call to arms that Americans should not miss.

Product Details

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Table of Contents