Danilo Mandić: Gangsters and Other Statesmen. Mafias, Separatists and Torn States in a Globalized World

Using historical comparative analysis, Danilo Mandić examines the role of organized crime in West Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, and the dynamics of territorial consolidation in torn states. The author claims that mafias can play a decisive role in shaping state-separatist relations, promoting or hindering secession, and fuelling war: “Transnational processes—of mafia expansion, chronic smuggling, and patrimonial governance—critically shape national processes of ethnic mobilisation, border reconfiguration and state collapse” (3). Mandić inquires how transnational organized crime impacts separatism by examining border disputes in 16 countries in three regions. Hetarts by comparing Kosovo and South Ossetia, exploring the conditions under which organized crime enhances separatist movements. The second part is then focused on 14 cases in three regions: Eastern Europe, West Africa, and the Middle East.

The author starts charting the terrain with the help of important terminology, defining secessionism, separatism, irredentism, racket, organized crime, and mafia. The first part begins by referencing Rogers Brubaker, who claims that separatists are the “ultimate architectonic illusionists” who believe that the right territorial and institutional framework can satisfy nationalist demands, quench nationalist passions, and thereby resolve nationalist conflicts.^[1] This ultimate axiom of nationalist tendencies is viewed through the history of secessionism, i.e., the belief that independence and self-governance also lead to a better life for its citizens. This illusion actually proved to be true only in a very small number of cases: “separatism often appears a remedy worse than the disease” (21).

The cases of Kosovo and South Ossetia show similarities with contrasting outcomes—to be precise, the Kosovo case is more successful. Mandić therefore, focuses on the role of the mafia in both cases and how they impacted secessionist tendencies, trying to explain why the opportunity for organized crime in Kosovo resulted in benefitting separatists, while that was not the case in South Ossetia. The author claims that unlike Kosovo, the mafia in South Ossetia played a reconciling role, whereas in Kosovo it assumed the role of ultimate divider and ruler: “When the mafia acted as divider and ruler, separatism progressed (Kosovo). When the mafia acted as a mediator, separatism was hindered (South Ossetia)” (62). The author presupposes that the secessionist process involves only three players: the state, the secessionist movement, and the mafia. This is an unprecedented simplification of secessionist movements. In actuality, more players are involved. First, we must not forget the role of the Albanian diaspora in the United States of America (USA), the involvement of Russia and USA/North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), nor the many other actors and factors. The mafia factor might have helped the secession succeed, butthe other factors were also significant.

What I find more problematic is the selection of sources. The Kosovo part is based on biased sources and authors who do not even pretend to be impartial.^[2] The author claims to undertake the fieldwork based on ethnographic observations and interviews, but I have not seen many of those in the book, though they would nicely complement the bias of the sources. The academic work focusing on organized crime is really challenging with respect to primary sources. I therefore laud the author’s fieldwork based on ethnographic observations and interviews, but their outcome should be more visible.

Mandić then proceeds with the five cases of mafia from West Africa and nine cases from the Middle East and Eastern Europe. He provides challenging and extensive work pinpointing the role of organized crime in the secessionist movements unveiling the different roles the mafia played in secessionist conflicts. His work is extensive, inspiring, and I recommended it not only to academics and students but also to anyone interested in the secrets of organized crime. My recommendation would be to focus next time on post-Soviet areas or any other region in order to avoid any bias.