Government of the Shadows Parapolitics and Criminal Sovereignty

by Wilson, Eric; Lindsey, Tim

• ISBN13: 9780745326238
• ISBN10: 0745326234
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-03-15
• Publisher: Pluto Press

Summary

Government of the Shadowsanalyzes the concept of clandestine government. It explores how covert political activity and transnational organized crime are linked -and how they ultimately work to the advantage of state and corporate power. The book shows that legitimate government is now routinely accompanied by extra-governmental covert operations. Using a variety of case studies, from the mafia in Italy to programs for food and reconstruction in Iraq, the contributors illustrate that para-political structures are not "deviant", but central to the operation of global governments. The creation of this truly parallel world-economy, the source of huge political and economic potential, entices states to undertake new forms of regulation, either through their own intelligence agencies, or through the more shadowy world of criminal cartels.

Author Biography

Tim Lindsey is Professor of Asian Law, Director of the Asian Law Centre and Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of Contemporary Islam, both at the University of Melbourne.

Eric Wilson is Lecturer, Faculty of Law, Monash University, Melbourne.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction:Parapolitics, Shadow Governance and Criminal Sovereignty
Robert Cribb (Australian National University, Canberra) and Peter Dale Scott (University of California, Berkeley)
PART I: THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
1. Deconstructing the Shadows
Eric Wilson (Monash University, Victoria, Australia)
2. Democratic State vs. Deep State: Approaching the Dual State of the West
Ola Tunander (International Peace Research Institute, Oslo)
3. Governing Through Globalised Crime
Mark Findlay (Unive