Failure to deal with transnational criminal organizations from a global perspective only offers further opportunities for their growth and development. Because organized crime is a pervasive phenomenon, the international community should cooperate to control illegal activities and to prevent the expansion of organized crime into new areas. In particular, the following issues deserve special attention in the context of transnational organized crime: (1) identify and monitor problems posed by transnational organized crime; (2) focus on particularly dangerous types of criminality; (3) develop a better understanding of problems due to differences in the way various countries perceive transnational organized crime; (4) assess differences in laws and regulations of individual countries; (5) examine problems resulting from the expansion of transnational criminal organizations to countries where defense mechanisms are weak; (6) study conditions that are conducive to the rise and growth of transnational criminal organizations, namely, socioeconomic and political factors, structural characteristics of organized crime, and organizational shortcomings and lack of resources; and (7) devise a global strategy for more effective cooperation. The rise of transnational criminal organizations is explained, and major transnational criminal organizations in Italy, Russia, China, Japan, Colombia, and Nigeria are described. In addition, activities of transnational criminal organizations are discussed, including the drug trafficking industry, arms trafficking, illegal trade in nuclear materials, trafficking in women and children, vehicle theft and smuggling, terrorism, and money laundering. 66 notes