In the passage from “Training for Statesmanship” written 1953, George F. Kennan’s most compelling observation is the diffusion of “power” that exists in political organizations, the economy, the criminal justice system, and to the other extreme, the criminal element in the United States. It still holds true for the United States today.
I did not recognize that the power of irregular forces and their influence on our society until I read George F. Kennan’s passage. There have been many kinds of immigrant mobs such as African, Hispanic, Russian, Italian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese gangsters as well as American gangsters in America. Among irregular forces that possess the power, I will focus on Italian mob and its power in America. In the movie, “The Godfather” and some of articles about the Mafia: “Five Families: Made Men in America”, and “Special Investigative Report: American Mafia Recruit Sicilian Mafia”, I have been fascinated by the Mafia’s empire, organized crime, business, and history of Sicilian mafia.
The Italian American mafia began with the adoption of most of its Sicilian heritage. The mafia had known that there was money to be made in the United States through extortion, prostitution, gambling, and bootlegging. Mafia occupied every big city in the United States from early 1900’s. Some of the corporate empires established in this way came to dominate the heart of the America economy but still operated in ways that involved destructive criminals.
Furthermore, the mafia has connected members of our government and law enforcement agencies with the lure of money. “This image is public perception of Italian Americans, especially politicians” (Buenker and Ratner 185). However, “it is only a minuscule percentage of the twelve million Italian Americans could possibly be part of the organized crime network” (Buenker and Ratner 185).
In the early 20th century, our government made efforts to bring a new order, stability, and honesty to American businesses by enacting and enforcing laws. These efforts, however, did not reduce the Mafia’s business crime.
Even now in 21 century, the American mafia is still recruiting Sicilian mafia members. According to Clarence Walker, “Sicilian mafia criminal’s migration into America has alarmed U.S. authorities” in his article, “Special Investigative Report”.
The mafia’s deep-rooted power has been established for many generations in America. The mafia is one of the most successful organized crime syndicates and has fascinated many people in our society. Our government probably will never get rid of organized crime, but we can limit their effectiveness by on-going and persistent prosecution.
References:
I did not recognize that the power of irregular forces and their influence on our society until I read George F. Kennan’s passage. There have been many kinds of immigrant mobs such as African, Hispanic, Russian, Italian, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese gangsters as well as American gangsters in America. Among irregular forces that possess the power, I will focus on Italian mob and its power in America. In the movie, “The Godfather” and some of articles about the Mafia: “Five Families: Made Men in America”, and “Special Investigative Report: American Mafia Recruit Sicilian Mafia”, I have been fascinated by the Mafia’s empire, organized crime, business, and history of Sicilian mafia.
The Italian American mafia began with the adoption of most of its Sicilian heritage. The mafia had known that there was money to be made in the United States through extortion, prostitution, gambling, and bootlegging. Mafia occupied every big city in the United States from early 1900’s. Some of the corporate empires established in this way came to dominate the heart of the America economy but still operated in ways that involved destructive criminals.
Furthermore, the mafia has connected members of our government and law enforcement agencies with the lure of money. “This image is public perception of Italian Americans, especially politicians” (Buenker and Ratner 185). However, “it is only a minuscule percentage of the twelve million Italian Americans could possibly be part of the organized crime network” (Buenker and Ratner 185).
In the early 20th century, our government made efforts to bring a new order, stability, and honesty to American businesses by enacting and enforcing laws. These efforts, however, did not reduce the Mafia’s business crime.
Even now in 21 century, the American mafia is still recruiting Sicilian mafia members. According to Clarence Walker, “Sicilian mafia criminal’s migration into America has alarmed U.S. authorities” in his article, “Special Investigative Report”.
The mafia’s deep-rooted power has been established for many generations in America. The mafia is one of the most successful organized crime syndicates and has fascinated many people in our society. Our government probably will never get rid of organized crime, but we can limit their effectiveness by on-going and persistent prosecution.
References:
Kennan, George F. “Training for Statesmanship”
<http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/ap/students/english/ap05_frq_english_lang.pdf >
Buenker, John A., Lorman A. Ratner., ed. Multiculturalism in the United States. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.
Raab, Selwyn. “Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires.” The New York Times.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/11/books/review/11burrough.html>
Buenker, John A., Lorman A. Ratner., ed. Multiculturalism in the United States. New York: Greenwood Press, 1992.
Raab, Selwyn. “Five Families: The Rise, Decline, and Resurgence of America’s Most Powerful Mafia Empires.” The New York Times.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/11/books/review/11burrough.html>
Walker, Clarence. “A Special Investigative Report: American Mafia Recruits Sicilian Mafia.” Feature Articles. August 2004. http://www.americanmafia.com/Feature_Articles_272.html>
1 comment:
Great post here. I am only going to quibble with you on one small point: I know of many African gangs, but since Africa is a gigantic continent, you'll want to narrow it down by ethnicity/country, as you have with other examples in your post. I can immediately think of Nigerian 419 scams, so that Nigeria has taken a big role in crime both in Africa and in America...and think. In Nigeria the population is 135 million, about half that of the U.S. imagine the activity there!
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