Definitions of organized crime tend to agree that the activities undertaken have a strong economic imperative; the offenses are of "major significance;" and the groups (involving no less than two or three individuals) are enduring in nature. Organized crime in various manifestations has a long history in Europe, Asia, and in the United States. An aspect of organized criminal activity that has dominated academic as well as fictional writing over the past decade is the issue of transnational organized crime. Various writers regard the development of transnational organized crime as an inevitable consequence of the global transition to free market economies and describe the activities of transnational criminal organizations with surprisingly little alarm. Although organized crime does not impact so severely on more stable countries such as Australia, it is continually necessary to participate in global policy debates on organized crime, to monitor overseas developments, and to develop a national research and policy agenda that addresses genuine local and national impacts of organized crime. 24 references