Hidden Power

Forcing us to rethink our distinctions between politics, conflict and crime, Cockayne uncovers a world in which states and mafias compete in a 'market for government', and not only states, but also some criminal groups, make war.



Hidden Power reveals criminal mafias determining political outcomes to suit their own agendas, and tells how they do it - by influencing elections, changing constitutions, fomenting terrorism, waging war, negotiating peace deals and working behind the scenes in pivotal historical moments such as the Second World War and the Cuban Missile Crisis.Drawing on unpublished government documents and mafia memoirs, James Cockayne reveals a century of forgotten political-criminal collaboration in New York, Sicily and the Caribbean and explains how such links persist globally, from the drug wars in Mexico, to smuggling routes in West Africa, to political instability in Russia, Ukraine and Central Asia.Forcing us to rethink our distinctions between politics, conflict and crime, Hidden Power reveals a world in which states and mafias compete - and collaborate - for power.