The So-called Failure of the State: Rethinking the State, Civil Society, and Criminal Organizations

In the field of international relations, we tend to apply the premises of political realism to our understanding of transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) in the USA and Latin America. In this perspective, TCOs are regarded as autonomous state-like actors or insurgent groups seeking political and ideological domination over the nation-state. This view is reinforced by notions of the "weak" or "failed state" in which TCOs are seen to be mounting a successful challenge to nation-states for control over governance. I contend that this view reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of TCOs, which are disinclined toward political and ideological domination and inherently dependent upon the state for their functioning and survival. The state in turn receives certain benefits through what becomes a kind of partnership with TCOs, one which actually strengthens both at the expense of civil society. Whereas political realism features the use of the military as a chief strategy for dealing with TCOs, an alternative view, which acknowledges interdependence between the state and TCOs, highlights the importance of strengthening civil society and the democratic norm as a more effective strategy for weakening the power and influence of TCOs.