CRIMINAL ORGANIZATIONS AS DESTRUCTIVE POLITICAL ACTORS (ON MATERIALS OF BRAZIL)

Aim. To determine the mechanisms of the destructive influence of criminal organizations on the Brazilian State.Methodology. The study was conducted on the example of Brazilian criminal organizations using the trilateral continuum “Crime-Terrorism-State”. The methods of systemic and comparative analysis, synthesis, generalization, and interpretation of the results were also used.Results. The mechanism of the destructive influence of criminal organizations on the Brazilian State is revealed in accordance with the proposed method. The conditions under which Brazilian criminal organizations should de facto be equated with terrorist organizations were also identified. An explanation is given to the fact that territorial control and the strengthening of criminal and/or terrorist organizations are closely interconnected with the degradation of the state and its institutions.Research implications. The results of the study expand the understanding of the influence of criminal organizations on the state on the example of Brazil. The use of the “Criminal-Terrorism-State” continuum as a research method makes it possible to graphically display the influence of criminal and terrorist organizations on the state.