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This book is an attempt to map the terrain of this emerging battlespace; it describes thescope of the security threat confronting the United States and the international communityfrom transnational criminal organizations and what is being done to combat that threat. The illicit economy operates in the shadows of the legal and official political economy.In order to understand the scope of the problem, both scholars and practitioners must developcredible estimates of the size of the illicit economy using accessible data sets, soundmethodologies, and transparent assumptions. Estimates of the magnitude of the phenomena we call transnational organized crime range from 1 to 15 percent of global product.Criminal networks have the advantage of three primary enablers. First are the huge profitsrealized by transnational criminal operations. Second is the ability of these organizations torecruit talent and reorganize along lines historically limited to corporations and militaries. Thethird is their newly developed ability to operate in milieus normally considered the preserveof the state, and often referred to as the diplomatic, informational, military, and economicelements of national power. Through resource development and reorganization, they now rival the capabilities of many states and overwhelm the capabilities of others.Access to large-scale resources is made possible by the incredible amount of money thattransnational crime generates. This in turn enables other criminal activities. Criminals subornrule of law actors within countries and are able to operate across borders. The end result iscorruption. They can often use these resources to train and equip themselves better than thosewho seek to halt them. The problems created by these networks are legion. Two of the most dangerous threatsare corruption and cyber security. Corruption acts as an enabler for transnational criminals,spreading deep within societies, preventing the rule of law from ensuring the safety and wellbeing of the citizens of countries where it is endemic. Corruption is likean autoimmune disease, shutting down the immune system so the body can be overwhelmedby any challenge. Cyber is a nascent threat, but one with tremendous future capability. There have be