Globalization

Globalization refers to the interdependence of countries, illustrated in transactions of goods, services, and technology. Economic globalization has grown at a fast pace, creating openness in communication and trade. Globalization is also illustrated in the increasing mobility of both goods and people traveling between countries, and, as a result, transnational crime is both a new and growing form of crime.

For centuries, smugglers and pirates have sought to undermine local law enforcement, but globalization means that criminal activity is no longer primarily a local phenomenon. To facilitate both trade and travel, boundaries between nation-states have become less rigid, and even when a criminal group is based predominantly in one country, the criminals' reach can be extended to an international level. Transnational crime arguably has grown more ...