The roots of contemporary organized crime in post-Soviet states lie in the pre-revolutionary and early Soviet years, but until the late 1980's the Soviet Union denied the existence of organized criminality. Today's organized crime manifestation in these states is an amalgam of the professional criminal underworld of the Tsarist period, the shadow economy, and the criminalized former party elite. Private economic activity and the collapse of border controls have permitted the expansion of illicit activities within the successor states and internationally. Post-Soviet organized criminals now trade internationally in narcotics, prostitution, and raw materials; they dominate the consumer sector as well. An effective strategy to fight organized crime requires an integrated legislative program of civil, criminal, economic, and administrative laws. Legislative and law enforcement cooperation must be encouraged across the Commonwealth of Independent States, within Eastern Europe, and with other countries. Foreign assistance programs must stimulate the development of investigative journalism that targets organized crime, research capacity, and the dissemination of information to the citizenry. Western expertise can help establish organized-crime strike forces, parliamentary commissions, and programs to combat the penetration of labor unions. Assistance from other countries must be coordinated if it is to achieve its intended effect in undermining and preventing the expansion of organized crime. 44 references