Illicit economies Posted late Wednesday night, September 10th, 2009

This is a video (20+min) of a presentation about the so-called illicit or illegal economies, exploring the current and possible effects of its development in our societies. To quote Bruce Schneier quoting the video

A new class of global actors is playing an increasingly important role in globalization: smugglers, warlords, guerrillas, terrorists, gangs, and bandits of all stripes. Since the end of the Cold War, the global illicit economy has consistently grown at twice the rate of the licit global economy. Increasingly, illicit actors will represent not just an economic but a political force. As globalization hollows out traditional nation-states, what will fill the power vacuum in slums and hinterlands will be informal non-state governance structures. These zones will be globally connected, effectively run by local gangs, religious leaders, or quasi-tribal organizations -- organizations that will govern without aspiring to statehood.

Basically, that guy is predicting burbclaves.


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