THE MAFIA STATE

A mafia state refers to a system where the government has ties to organized crime or atleast behaves like an organized crime syndicate. The government can use these organized criminals to do their bidding and handle certain situations that the government would not want to be associated with. Government officials and security forces that take part in illegal businesses or activities also form part of the mafia state. The mafia, as crime syndicates, primarily rely on their connections to the authorities especially security forces to safeguard their financial interests. Where greater financial interests exist and need to be safeguarded, high ranking government officials might be involved to safeguard them.

Countries that have exhibited mafia-esque tendencies include;

1. Russia🇷🇺
   Formerly known as the USSR, Russia has been openly accused of having a symbiotic relationship with the mafia. State security organisations like the FSB have been accused of extorting the country's wealthy citizens using force and torture. Former citizens that were labelled 'enemies of the state' fled to other countries like the UK. Some have been assassinated on unknown grounds by unknown individuals suspected to be mafia enforcers.

2. China🇨🇳
   The PRC's authoritarianism is one thing synonymous with the mafia. The imposition of a extradition bill on Hong Kong to increase Beijing's control of the region is one example of such authoritarianism. Trapping poor countries in huge debt so as to easily acquire their valuable resources, heavy restrictions on citizen's access to information are other things that make the PRC less friendly.

3. USA🇺🇸
   A nation overrun by systemic racism where the privileged whites call 911 like it's a personal helpline. Calling hitmen(police) on any black man they deem "suspicious". These police murders of unarmed black people are always swept under the rug which makes them state sanctioned hits. An over-capitalistic nation where the luxury needs of the top 1% matter more than basic needs of the proletariat. A country that boosts of the most expensive health care system where calling someone an ambulance can drive them to bankruptcy. A nation whose military presence in atleast half the world countries is to destabilize existing governments so as to serve it interests which are but not limited to plundering the nation's resources(oil - middle east), engaging in narcotics trafficking(heroin - Afghanistan)

4. Uganda🇺🇬
   An African nation operating way below its potential simply because it has its priorities backwards. The authoritarian government that uses the security forces to keep opposing citizens in line. Teargas, battery, torture, murder are all state sanctioned as long as they keep the citizens quiet and in line. The unending corruption where officials have knowingly sabotaged national development and public interests for their own personal gain. Land grabbing is the norm. Rich people of influence asserting themselves in properties of lower class people by drawing up land titles in their names.

5. Mexico🇲🇽 and Colombia🇨🇴
   Labelled 'Narco-states' practicing 'narco-democracy' by Western media in the 1980s, 1990s todate. The biggest drug trafficking organisations in these countries at the time had a huge influence on their governments. This influence was derived mostly from cash payouts and violence. Entire security forces including the most elite ones were being used by crime bosses to do their bidding. In some instances, e.g in Mexico, the government offered its police and army to famous drug lord 'El-Chapo' inorder to help him fight off the other known drug cartels. The government thought that having one cartel/person incharge would reduce on the rampant inter-cartel violence but subduing the other cartels was uphill task.