The discussion emphasizes the importance of accurately conceptualizing the threat posed by TCO's to develop effective countermeasures. It notes that these organizations are diverse, have symbiotic relationships with legitimate businesses, and engage in a mixture of cooperation and competition not only with each other but also with governments and other nongovernmental entities. Understanding strategic alliances among licit corporations should facilitate greater understanding of the conditions and considerations that lead to strategic alliances among TCO's, make it easier to clarify the nature of these alliances, and provide insights into the problems that can arise in their operation and management. Like licit corporations, TCO's are essentially profit-maximizing and risk-reducing entities and consider cooperation a natural activity due to their common problem of circumventing law enforcement and national regulations. To respond to these organizations and their alliances, governments need to develop better predictive intelligence about the formation and ending of these strategic alliances. They must also develop cooperative strategies to match those of the TCO's and recognize that the development of strategic alliances presents both dangers and opportunities for law enforcement. Reference notes