McMafia

"McMafia" by Misha Glenny documents the workings of organized crime around the world. It starts with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the rise of Russian mafia and ends with the Yakuza and cybercrime. It covers Israel, Nigeria, Brazil, India, Dubai, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Germany, the U.S., India and other places in between. The story is very different than what I expected it to be. In many places organized crime arose to fill gaps. Either there was no local law or there were no local lawyers. Organized crime also filled gaps in law abiding societies. Britons wanted to smoke but did not want to pay 3 pounds a pack for cigarettes that cost 20 pence a pack where they were made in North Carolina. So, they bought smuggled cigarettes for 1.5 pounds a pack. I really liked the book and learned more from it than from any book that I have read in the last ten years.