Transnational Crime Globalization for the

Transnational Crime Globalization for the most part, has provided a positive new dimension to life. People can chat with others around the world, cultural diversity is being shared on a global business level and parts of the world that used to live in fear of each other now know they have little to fear. With the positive aspects of globalization however, come some negative ones including increased transnational crime (the Explosive Growth of Globalized Crime (http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0801/ijge/gj01.htm).

Transnational crime is committed in literally thousands of ways. Some examples of transnational crime include the shipment into the U.S. Of the drug Ecstasy, being manufactured in the Netherlands, computer viruses being sent worldwide from one office in the Philippines and large U.S. banks discovering that they have been used in large Russian money laundering operations.

Transnational crimes have increased steadily since the advent of the Internet as many crimes can be done from half way around the world with the click of a mouse (the Explosive Growth of Globalized Crime (http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0801/ijge/gj01.htm). These examples represent the new face of crime. Certain types of international crime -- terrorism, human trafficking, drug trafficking, and contraband smuggling -- involve serious violence and physical harm.

Other forms -- fraud, extortion, money laundering, bribery, economic espionage, intellectual property theft, and counterfeiting -- don't require guns to cause major damage. Moreover, the spread of information technology has created new categories of cyber-crime (the Explosive Growth of Globalized Crime (http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0801/ijge/gj01.htm)." For Americans, transnational crimes cause problems in three areas.

When illegal immigrants enter the nation with drugs, guns and other contraband and sell it to people in the street, there is no way to track their activities and arrest them before they rush across the border again. In addition, the American business expansion that has opened worldwide opportunities for foreign-based criminals to set up shop costs millions of dollars each year in lost profits and American jobs. Finally the national security of America is threatened every time international criminals plan and carry out their crimes.

Examples include the acquisition of weapons of mass destruction, trade in banned or dangerous substances, and trafficking in women and children. Corruption and the enormous flow of unregulated, crime-generated profits are serious threats to the stability of democratic institutions and free market economies around the world (the Explosive Growth of Globalized Crime (http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0801/ijge/gj01.htm)." There are several steps that can be taken to reduce the incidence of transnational crime in the world.

One of the first things America has begun to do is to provide more international law enforcement agencies trained to recognize and prosecute crimes of an international nature. The next step taken was to secure the United States borders more stringently than has been attempted in years. Enhanced inspection, monitoring and detection at the border and shores help to reduce transnational crimes.

Trade crime can be reduced through detection of illegal technological exports as well as a closer monitoring and protection of intellectual rights (the Explosive Growth of Globalized Crime (http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0801/ijge/gj01.htm). Research has shown that many nations are ill equipped to handle international crime threats both in policy and judicial abilities. This is the final step that should be taken.

Nations, including America need to re-evaluate its laws and mandates to be sure that it is equipped to prosecute international criminals to the fullest extent of the law when they are caught.

Without capable and reliable foreign law enforcement partners, the United States, as well as other countries, will remain vulnerable to criminal groups that conduct activities from countries where law enforcement is weak (Helping the World Combat International Crime (http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itgic/0801/ijge/gj03.htm)." Four Legal Traditions The Common Legal Tradition The common legal tradition dictates that judges have authority and duty to decide what the law in and what criminal or civil punishment will be when laws are broken, Common law as opposed to statutory law and regulatory law (Common law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law):the first connotation differentiates the authority that promulgated a particular proposition of law (Common law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law).For example, in most areas of law in most jurisdictions in the United States, there are "statutes" enacted by a legislature, "regulations" promulgated by executive branch agencies pursuant to a delegation of rule-making authority from a legislature, and "common law" decisions issued by courts (Common law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_law)." Common law is most often practiced in America and England.

Civil Legal Tradition The civil law is the most used law on earth. Civil law begins with abstract laws which judges must then apply to individual cases (Civil law (legal system) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_law_(legal_system). Civil law began in Roman law, Canon law and enlightenment.

Civil or civilian law is a legal tradition which is the base of the law in the majority of countries of the world, especially in continental Europe and the former Soviet Union, but also in Quebec (Canada), partially in Louisiana (USA), Puerto Rico (a U.S.

territory), Korea (both North and South), Japan, China, Latin America and most former colonies of continental European countries (Civil law (legal system) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_law_(legal_system)." The socialist legal tradition believes that people are only stewards of the earth and that all communities are possessors or the users of earth (Socialist Legal Tradition (http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu25ee/uu25ee0z.htm). The Islamic legal tradition stems from the belief that God is the law maker.