The Merger: How Organised Crime Is Taking Over the World

by Jeffrey Robinson

Robinson outlines a worldwide network of illegal deals that are almost impossible to trace, let alone joint ventures in heroin trafficking, counterfeit currency, arms dealing, money laundering and murder. From London to Moscow, Miami to Bogota, this wealth cabal is destined to become the most powerful special interest group on earth.

Genres: Crime, True Crime

480 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 1999

Reviews

[Pablo Estevez · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciate this book highlighted some keys issues about organised crime a few years ago, and the importance of banking. But I feel this has been done so much better by other authors.

Robinson's endless stream of anecdotal, often disconnected stories with no references is difficult to take seriously. Other writers have managed to include references without compromising sources. It's also overlaid with so much cynicism and stereotypes; lack of comment is taken as confirmation; leaps are made or heavily implied over thin ground. I don't doubt that much of this was true, and certainly in general terms in the interaction between OC groups, licit and illicit individuals. But it is unfortunate that it is all undermined by this casual, stream of consciousness style.

Misha Glenny's McMafia was a bit better in my view, without losing a narrative style, but Saviano is the king.

[Robert Isenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robinson has his tough-guy moments -- he has a habit of using words like "slimeball" to describe specific mobsters, much as the Philadelphia Daily News would -- but the reportage is also very alarming. Robinson not only knows his stuff; his 2000 expose is a wrenching preamble to the horrors of 2001, demonstrating how a cell-phone and a good lawyer can help violent criminals migrate anywhere in the world. He's particularly hard on Slavik syndicates, but given the make-up of the Kremlin these days (plus a couple slaughtered journalists), the criticism is more warranted now than ever. He makes a shocking connection between South African gangs (who, thanks to Apartheid, are master-forgers of governments documents) and Nigerian con-artists (who, thanks to crushing poverty, have become the most successful fraudsters in the world). Nigerians are famously pacifist, but the country is amazing Internet-savvy; South Africa is famously violent, but even electricity is scarce on the Homelands. This marriage of two diverse cultural skill-sets is just one example of cross-national collaboration -- borne by colonialism, nurtured by globalization, virally spread by rampant technological advances. Scariest of all is that all this border-jumping still occurs; while the West focuses on terrorism, this book is a reminder that secular mobsterism and money-laundering hasn't been in the least deterred.

[Elie-Joe Dergham · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book that outlines how different organized crimes cooperate and conduct business together. Even though it is an old book, there are still multiple aspects of the book still valid till today.

[Laszlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second economy !!.?..in some parts of the world, is the # 1 !!
Anyone knows what Illigal means ?!??
Learn a lot,
Thanks Laszlo

[The Devine Ms Em · Rating 3 out of 5]

A shocking book about global crime. Shocking because the book is non-fiction. Another depressing eye-opener about some very nasty people. Considering this book was written about 15 years ago, just imagine how much more prolific these avaricious people are. Well written

[Hossein]

criminal capitalism ??

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well documented and researched and many of the theories of the author been proven accurate. This book clearly shows that transnational crime is global and the amount of money involved is staggering.