Globalization As Internationalization
Globalization As Internationalization
Globalization As Internationalization
Alison Brysk in a digest paper stated that globalization is the growing inter-penetration of states,
Markets, Communications, and ideas. It is one of the leading characteristics of the contemporary world.
Assault on fundamental human dignity continue, and the very blurring of boarders and rise of
transnational actors that facilitated the development of a global human rights abuse.
GLOBALIZATION AS INTERNATIONALIZATION
It describe the growth in international exchange and interdependence . with growing flows of
trade and capital investment there is possibility moving beyond an international economy, to a
stronger’ version- the globalized economies are subsumed and rearticulated into the system by
international processes and transactions.
GLOBALIZATION AS LIBERARALIZATION
GLOBALIZATION AS UNIVERSALIZATION
Global is used in the sense of being ‘’worldwide’’ and process of spreading various objects and
experiences to people at all corners of the earth. A classic example of this would be the spread of
computer, television etc.
(or as the spread of Supraterritoriality). Globalization entails a configuration of geography, so that social
space is no longer wholly mapped in terms of territorial places, territorial distances and territorial
distances and territorial borders.
Anthony Giddens’ has thus defined globalization as the intensification of worldwide social relations
which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many
miles away and vice versa.
Impacts of globalization and new technologies on drug-related crime and criminal organizations
Organized criminality has become more transnational and has been restructured and
decentralized; in other words, it too has globalized.
Trans national criminals do not respect borders in that , in carrying out their activities, they trail
their activities across several Jurisdictions to minimize law enforcement risks and maximize profit.
A. To improve the efficiency of product delivery and distribution through the medium of secure,
instant communications;
B. To protect themselves and their illicit operations from investigation by drug law enforcement
agencies sometimes using techniques of counter-attack.
Drug traffickers use computers and electronic pocket organizers for storing information such as
Bank account numbers , contact details of associates, databases of assets and financial activity ,
sales and other business records, grid coordinates of clandestine landing strips and recipes for
synthetic drug manufacture and for electronic mail (e-mail) and other correspondence.
Columbian and Mexican drug cartels have used sophisticated equipment for the surveillance of
investigating officers and interception of their communications, collecting photographs of the
officers and other personal information.
Casinos have lo0ng been used as an outlet for laundering drug-related funds and other funds of
illicit origin; thus the extension of this activity through the internet is a logical step. Whereas
many onshore gaming establishments follow regulations against money laundering, ‘’virtual
casinos’’ flourish in a completely unregulated environment.
In the twenty-first century the speed of communications by telephone and the Internet has accelerated
the process of globalization. Another definition of globalization calls it an ensemble of developments
that make the world a single place, changing the meaning and importance of distance and national
identity in world affairs. This means that the positive and negative effects of bad news spread almost
instantaneously. As the planes hit the World Trade Center towers on
September 11, 2001, American stock exchanges dropped and closed, causing tremors that resounded in
European and Asian stock exchanges as soon as they opened a few hours later.
Qualitative approach is the basic thrust in this study, moreover co relational approach has also been
adopted as impacts of globalization on human rights is the central theme of the study. First of all related
literature has been reviewed to rationalize the studied topic. Secondly Phenomenon of globalization has
been tackled in the context equation of this study and concept of human rights has been elaborated to
fit in this article. Then impacts of globalization on human rights have been analyzed.
Human rights are a set of universal claims to safeguard human dignity from illegitimate coercion,
typically enacted by state agents. The UN's inability to step into conflicts affects human rights around
the world. The United Nations Charter guarantees human rights to every man, woman, and child
regardless of nationality, religion, or race. If the UN is often powerless because strong lobbies form
among member nations who are not necessarily interested in human rights, it follows that the UN often
can't do much more than talk about human rights. United States still have to explain the invasion of Iraq
in 2003, and the validity of the American intervention is still being debated by people in the United
States and around the world. How do you protect the citizen of a democracy whose human rights are
violated outside his own country by a nondemocratic country? For example, some Chinese-Americans
who live permanently in the United States have been imprisoned in China for alleged crimes such as
publishing criticism of the Chinese government. In such cases, the U.S. government uses quiet
diplomacy, a process that may take years. Because no administration is willing to risk the important
trade relationship with China, the American citizen may languish in prison for some time until the
Chinese decide that release makes sense. Certainly the U.S. government or any government in a similar
position deplores the way its citizen is being treated, but unless it is ready to take drastic measures,
including war to protect its own citizen. It may take the case to the UN where a resolution might be
passed, but unless someone is willing to put "teeth" into it perhaps freezing the offending country's
accounts in international banks or denying an international loan there is no way for that citizen's own
country to protect him. In democracies, human rights are guaranteed by constitutions and laws. They
are protected by elected governments that may sometimes stray into abuses of human rights for
example, under the fear of terrorism and by judicial systems that are usually protected from
interference by legislative or administrative bodies.
POLICING MODELS
Policing is one of the most important of the functions undertaken by the every sovereign government.
For the state machinery, police is an inevitable organ which would ensure maintenance of law and
order, and also the first link in the criminal justice system. On the other hand, for common man, police
force is a symbol of brute force of authority and at the same time, the protector from crime. Police men
get a corporate identity from the uniform they wear; the common man identifies, distinguishes and
awes him on account of the same uniform. The police systems across the world have developed on a
socio cultural back ground, and for this reason alone huge differences exist between these police
systems. From the singular coordinated centralized system of police in Saudi Arabia organized under the
ministry of interior to the 42000 odd police forces that exist in (USA, policing mainly rests on either of
the two broad principles: (1) Policing by consent and (2) Policing by law. This paper tries to examine the
various police systems that exist in the world, taking Saudi Arabia, China, France, Spain, (united
kingdom, the United States of America and India, as examples of various types of policing models.
The paper takes cue from these systems, their positives and negatives, and tries to find out how the
Indian System, can be understood in the light of these policing models.
FORMS OF GOVERNMENT
1. Anarchy
Anarchism refers to the absence of government, a condition in which a nation or state operates without
a central governing body. This denotes an absence of public utilities or services, a lack of regulatory
control, limited diplomatic relations with other nation-states, and in most instances, a society divided
into different, locally-ruled settlements (or fiefdoms).
2. Aristocracy
Aristocracy refers to a form of government in which wealthy nobles are given power over those in lower
socioeconomic strata. Positions of leadership are reserved for those of an elite ruling class, a status
which is typically hereditary. The privileged ruling class is viewed, in this system, as possessing the
education, upbringing, and genetic traits required for rulership. Aristocracy promotes an inherent class
system that connects wealth and ethnicity with both the ability and right to rule.
3. Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy refers to a form of government in which non-elected government officials carry out public
responsibilities as dictated by administrative policy-making groups. In a bureaucracy, rules, regulations,
procedures, and outcomes are formulated to maintain order, achieve efficiency, and prevent favoritism
within the system. Bureaucracies rarely serve as forms of government on their own but are instead
often used as mechanisms to underlie and strengthen overarching forms of government. Indeed,
bureaucratic streamlining of policy implementation can take place under the rule of a dictator or a
democracy.
Real World Example
Bureaucracy played an essential role in formalizing and equalizing taxation in Great Britain. In the 18th
century, as the United Kingdom engaged in an array of military campaigns around the world, it
established an encompassing taxation administration designed to the fund the war efforts. With a focus
on using improved technology and more efficient collection methodologies, the United Kingdom
established what would become the largest public administration network in the world to that date. The
tax collection bureaucracy — the Department of Excise — served the interests of the British monarchy
but would eventually give rise to the modern English bureaucracy, Her Majesty’s Civil Service.
4. Capitalism
Capitalism refers to a form of economy in which production is driven by private ownership. Capitalism
promotes the idea of open competition and extends from the belief that a free market economy — one
with limited regulatory control — is the most efficient form of economic organization. Its advocates
argue that capitalism promotes economic growth, improved standards of living, higher productivity, and
broader prosperity, whereas critics argue that capitalism inherently promotes inequality, exploitation of
the labor class, and unsustainable use of resources and land.
5. Colonialism
Colonialism is a form of governance in which a nation will seek to extend its sovereignty over other
territories. In practical terms, colonialism involves the expansion of a nation’s rule beyond its borders.
This often entails occupation of indigenous populations and exploitation of resources to the benefit of
the ruling nation. The colonizer will also often impose its own economy, culture, religious order, and
form of government on an occupied people to strengthen its own authority.
In its purest form, Communism refers to the idea of common, public ownership of the economy,
including infrastructure, utilities, and means of production. Communism, as idealized by thinkers Karl
Marx and Friedrich Engels, denotes an absence of class divisions, which inherently requires the
subversion of the ruling class by the working class. As such, communism often incorporates the idea of
revolutionary action against unequal rule. Communism often positions itself as a counterpoint to the
economic stratification underlying capitalism. This resistance to stratification sometimes also takes the
form of a single-state authority, one in which political opposition or dissidence may be restricted. This
may manifest in some communist states as a more authoritarian form of governance, as typified by the
Soviet brand of communism that swept the globe during the mid-20th century.
7. Democracy
Democracy refers to a form of government in which the people are given a direct role in choosing their
leadership. Its primary goal is governance through fair representation, a system in which no single force
or entity can exercise unchecked control or authority. The result is a system which requires discourse,
debate, and compromise to satisfy the broadest possible number of public interests. Democracy is
typified by fair and free elections, civic participation, protection of human rights, and the rule of law.
8. Federalism
Federalism is a form of government that both combines and divides powers between a centralized
federal authority and an array of regional and local authorities. This is typically a system in which a set of
states, territories, or provinces are both self-governing and beholden to the authority of a broad,
unifying government structure. This is considered a balance in approach that provides roughly equal
status of authority to two distinct levels of government.
9. Feudalism
Feudalism is a social structure revolving around land ownership, nobility, and military obligation. Though
not a formal way of governing, feudalism refers to a way of life in which sharp, hierarchical divisions
separate noble classes, clergy, and peasantry. Opportunities for movement between these hierarchies is
largely impossible. In this system, peasants typically provided labor and military service in exchange for
occupancy of land and protection from outside forces under the authority of a noble lord. In turn,
lordships, or fiefdoms, often engaged one another politically, economically, and militarily. Feudalism
was a highly decentralized and agrarian way of life supplanted when the European monarchies created
the infrastructure to impose central rule over their various dominions.
10. Kleptocracy
Kleptocracy is a form of government in which the ruling party has either come to power, retained
power, or both, through means of corruption and theft. This is not a form of government that a ruling
class would ever self-apply but a pejorative term used to describe a group whose power rests on a
foundation of embezzlement, misappropriation of funds, and the transfer of massive amounts of wealth
from public to private interests. These private interests will typically overlap the ruling party’s own
economic interests.
11. Meritocracy
Meritocracy refers to a system in which authority is vested in those who have demonstrated the merits
deemed pertinent to governing or public administration. Often, these merits are conferred through
testing and academic credentials and are meant to create an order in which talents, abilities, and
intellect determine who should hold positions of leadership and economic stewardship. The result is a
social hierarchy based on achievement.
A dictatorship is a nation ruled with absolute power, in the absence of a democratic process, and
typically under the thumb of a single authority figure. In a military dictatorship, this authority usually
heads the nation’s armed forces. A military dictatorship often comes to power by subverting the existing
seat of government — sometimes though claims of corruption, weakness, or ineffectiveness — and
which subsequently uses the military to establish its own brand of law and order. Military dictatorships
will frequently prioritize law and order over due process, civil liberties, or political freedoms. Dissent or
political opposition can be dangerous or even deadly for those living under a military dictatorship.
Monarchy refers to a form of rule in which absolute power and authority are held by a single member of
a royal bloodline. In a monarchy, the individual in the seat of power is often believed to have been
placed there by “divine right,” or the will of God. In a monarchical society, power is inherited within a
line of succession that relates to one’s bloodline and birth-order within the ruling royal family. Though
the monarchy has historically indicated absolute power, the concept has become increasingly diluted
with the evolution of democratic principles. Today, some monarchies exist but are merely symbolic,
whereas others coexist within constitutional structures. However, until the 19th century, monarchy was
the most common form of government in the world.
14. Oligarchy
Oligarchy refers to a form of government in which a smattering of individuals rule over a nation. In many
ways, oligarchy is a catch-all for any number of other forms of governance in which a specific set of
qualities — wealth, heredity, race — are used to vest power in a small group of individuals. So, forms of
government regarded as aristocratic, plutocratic, or totalitarian, for instance, can be referred to as
oligarchic. Oligarchies are often characterized by tyrannical or authoritarian rule and an absence of
democratic practices or individual rights.
15. Plutocracy
Plutocracy refers to a system of rule in which power is determined as a direct function of wealth.
Plutocracy mirrors the economic hierarchy of aristocratic systems but lacks the philosophical
imperatives used to justify the latter. Whereas aristocratic forms of governance justified economic
hierarchy by presuming an equivalence between wealth, heredity, and the qualification to lead,
plutocracy refers in simpler terms to the ascendance of the wealthy to positions of power. Think of it as
the difference between “old money” and “new money.” As with the phrase “new money” itself,
plutocracy is rarely a term that a ruling class will self-apply. Rather, it is often used as a derogatory term
meant to highlight the inequality inherent in capitalist societies.
16. Republicanism
Republicanism, the form of government — not to be conflated with the Republican political party
specific to U.S. politics — refers to a system in which power is vested in the citizenry. In technical
definition, a republic is a nation in which the people hold popular sovereignty through the electoral and
legislative processes as well as through participation in public and civic life. In its earliest form, the
republic was perceived as a counterbalance to monarchy, an approach which merged monarchy and
aristocracy with some trappings of democracy.
17. Socialism
Socialism refers to a form of government in which the people own the primary means of production. A
counterpoint to the competitive nature and unequal proclivities of capitalism, socialism has existed in
many forms and to widely variant degrees of strictness throughout history and around the world. From
small communal societies to state-level governments that provide encompassing public services such as
universal healthcare, the concept of socialism permeates governments the world over. By contrast to
the less compromising and often more authoritarian nature of communism, socialism tends to be a
malleable concept. Some adherents view socialism as referring to a strict policy of shared ownership and
equal distribution of resources, while others believe free market capitalism can coexist with socialist
forms of public administration. To wit, the Social Security system of the declaratively capitalist United
States is inherently socialist in nature.
18. Theocracy
Theocracy refers to a form of government in which a specific religious ideology informs the leadership,
laws, and customs of a nation. In many instances, there will be little to no distinction between scriptural
laws and legal codes. Likewise, religious clergy will typically occupy roles of leadership, and in some
instances, the highest office in the nation. Because religious law usually extends from writings and
traditions that are many centuries old, and therefore impose practices that may not conform with
present-day standards of ethical justice or constitutional law, theocracies frequently run afoul of
organizations and agencies advocating for global human rights.
19. Totalitarianism
20. Tribalism
Tribalism refers to a form of governance in which there is an absence of central authority and where,
instead, various regional tribes lay claim to different territories, resources, or domains. In this system,
trade, commerce, and war may occur between different tribes without the involvement or oversight of a
unifying structure. This was a particularly common way of life in the pre-modern world, where different
families and clans would establish a set of common rules and rituals specific to their community. While
many tribes have forms of internal leadership — from councils and chiefdoms to warlords and
patriarchs — tribes are also distinct for having relatively limited role differentiation or role stratification
within. In some regards, this can make the customs internal to some tribes particularly egalitarian. That
said, tribalism as a way of life has been threatened, and in many parts of the world extinguished, by
modernity, development, and the imposition of outside authority.
CJS PROCEEDINGS
Criminal justice is a process, involving a series of steps beginning with a criminal investigation
and ending with the release of a convicted offender from correctional supervision. Rules and decision
making are at the center of this process.
Rules
Sources of rules in criminal justice include the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights, state
constitutions, the U.S. Code, state codes, court decisions, federal rules of criminal procedure, state rules
of criminal procedure, and department and agency rules and regulations. The Federal Rules of Criminal
Procedure, for example, govern the procedure in all criminal proceedings in courts of the United States.
Discretion
Decision making in criminal justice involves more than the learning of rules and the application
of them to specific cases. Decisions are based on discretion, that is, the individual exercise of judgment
to make choices about alternative courses of action. Discretion, or making decisions without formal
rules, is common in criminal justice. Discretion comes into play whenever police make choices about
whether to arrest, investigate, search, question, or use force. Similarly, prosecutors exercise individual
judgment in deciding whether to charge a person with a crime and whether to plea‐bargain. Judges also
use discretion when setting bail, accepting or rejecting plea bargains, ruling on pretrial motions, and
sentencing. Parole board members exercise discretion when deciding whether and when to release
inmates from prison.
1.Investigation of a crime by the police. The purpose of a criminal investigation is to gather evidence to
identify a suspect and support an arrest. An investigation may require a search, an exploratory
inspection of a person or property. Probable cause is the standard of proof required for a search.
Probable cause means there are facts or apparent facts indicating that evidence of criminality can be
found in a specific place.
2.)Arrest of a suspect by the police. An arrest involves taking a person into custody for the
purpose of holding the suspect until court. Probable cause is the legal requirement for an arrest. It
means that there is a reasonable link between a specific person and a particular crime.
4.)Indictment by a grand jury or the filing of an information by a prosecutor. Under the Federal
Rules of Criminal Procedure, an indictment is required when prosecuting a capital offense. A prosecutor
has the option of an indictment or an information in cases involving crimes punishable by imprisonment.
In about half the states and the federal system, a grand jury decides whether to bring charges against a
person in a closed hearing in which only the prosecutor presents evidence. The defendant has no right
to be present at grand jury proceedings and no right to have a defense attorney represent him or her
before the grand jury. The standard for indicting a person for a crime is probable cause. In the remaining
states, a prosecutor files a charging document called an information. A preliminary (probable cause)
hearing is held to determine if there is enough evidence to warrant a trial. The defendant and his or her
attorney can be present at this hearing to dispute the charges.
5.)Arraignment by a judge. Before the trial, the defendant appears in court and enters a plea.
The most common pleas are guilty and not guilty.
6.)Pretrial detention and/or bail. Detention refers to a period of temporary custody prior to trial.
Bail is an amount of money paid by a defendant to ensure he or she will show up for a trial.
7.)Plea bargaining between the defense attorney and the prosecutor. Usually, in plea
bargaining, the defendant agrees to plead guilty in exchange for a charge reduction or sentence
reduction.
10.)Appeals filed by attorneys in appellate courts and then ruled on by appellate judges. If an
appellate court reverses a case, the case returns to trial court for retrial. With a reversal, the original
trial becomes moot (that is, it is as though it never happened). Following a reversal, a prosecutor
decides whether to refile or drop the charges. Even if a prosecutor drops the charges, the defendant can
still be prosecuted later as long as the statute of limitations for the crime the defendant is accused of
committing hasn't run out. Such a statute imposes time limits on the government to try a case.
The criminal justice process is like a funnel, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Early in
the criminal justice process, there are many cases, but the number of cases dwindles as decision makers
remove cases from the process. Some cases are dismissed, while others are referred for treatment or
counseling. Another way of expressing the funnel effect is to say that there are many more suspects and
defendants than inmates. As criminal justice scholar Joel Samaha notes, the U.S. Constitution requires
the government to support every deprivation of privacy, life, liberty, or property with facts. The greater
the deprivation, the more facts that government agents are required to produce. A stop on the street
requires fewer facts than an arrest; an arrest requires fewer facts than an indictment; an indictment
requires fewer facts than a criminal conviction.
INTERPOL
The International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) is the world's largest
international police organization with 192 member countries. The main purpose of its establishment is
to enable the world police to ensure the safety of the human beings all over the world.
The first idea of establishing Interpol was hit in 1914 in the first International Criminal Police
Congress held in Monaco. It was officially established in 1923 as 'International Criminal Police
Commission'. This organization began to be known as "INTERPOL" in 1956. INTERPOL's headquarter is
located in Lyon (France).Its current chairman is "Meng Hongwei". INTERPOL's General Assembly is its
Governing body.
INTERPOL enables international police to work together to fight international crime in 192
member countries. It primarily uses its police expertise and capabilities for these three types of crimes.
1. Counter-Terrorism
2. Organized crime
3. Cyber Crime
Interpol works in conjunction with all member countries and international organizations like the
United Nations and European Union to combat international crime.
Interpol has developed a global police communication system, which is known as I-24/7
(Information 24x7), which allows any member country to safely obtain and communicate data related to
crime, criminals etc. The Liaison Bureau (LB) is connected to this Communication system and chief
officer of any country can get Interpol services through Liaison Bureau.
Through the database I-24/7, member countries can get this data directly when they need it.
Here member countries, including the security forces have direct and immediate access to a wide range
of databases, stolen motor vehicles, including stolen and lost travel documents, stolen works of Art,
nominal data, DNA Profile, counterfeit payment cards and fingerprints.
INTERPOL also publishes severe crime-related data through a system of international notices.
INTERPOL's General Secretariat (IPSG) issues notice in the four official languages of the organization i.e.
English, French, Arabic and Spanish at the requests of member countries.
4. Reducing organized and new types of crime
INTERPOL is committed to reduce organised crimes, criminal networks and the destruction of
illegal markets and protection of weaker communities. INTERPOL issues 7 types of notices to nab the
criminals all over the world. The Indian government is taking the help of INTERPOL to arrest Dawood
Ibrahim who is wanted in Mumbai serial blasts, 1993.
One of the main works of INTRPOL is to ensure global solidarity against international terrorism
and measures to deal with chemical attacks, biological attack, radiological attack, nuclear attack all over
the world.
6. Cyber Crime
Cyber crime is the new type of challenge of the 21st century. There are so many incidences
taking place related to cyber crime all over the world. As recently Ransomware attack shook the world
by hacking the system of so many organisations all over the world.
So in the above paragraphs, you have read about what kind of functions are done by the INTERPOL for
global peace and prosperity. It is expected that in the coming years also the role of INTERPOL will get
more crucial to deal incidences of global terrorism, cyber crime and human trafficking.
‘’TYPES OF NOTICE’’
-Red Notice: To seek the location and arrest of wanted persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a
sentence.
-Yellow Notice: To help locate missing persons, often minors, or to help identify persons who are unable
to identify themselves.
-Blue Notice: To collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation
to a crime.
-Green Notice: To provide warning about a person’s criminal activities, where the person is considered
to be a possible threat to public safety.
-Orange Notice: To warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing a serious and
imminent threat to public safety.
-Purple Notice: To seek or provide information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment
methods used by criminals.
INTERPOL–United Nations Security Council Special Notice: Issued for groups and individuals who are the
targets of UN Security Council Sanctions Committees.
A Notice is only published if it complies with INTERPOL’s Constitution and fulfils all conditions for
processing the information as defined by our Rules on the Processing of Data. This ensures the legality
and quality of information, and the protection of personal data.
For example, a Notice will not be published if it violates Article 3 of INTERPOL’s Constitution, which
forbids the Organization from undertaking any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious
or racial character.
The legal basis for a Red Notice is an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authorities in
the country concerned. Many of our member countries consider a Red Notice to be a valid request for
provisional arrest.
Any individual who is subject to an INTERPOL Notice should be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Member countries may also request cooperation from each other through another alert mechanism
known as a 'diffusion'. This is less formal than a notice and is circulated directly by an NCB to all or some
of our member countries. Diffusions must also comply with INTERPOL’s Constitution and the Rules on
the Processing of Data.
INTERPOL’s current President is Kim Jong Yang, who was elected at the 87th General Assembly
in Dubai in November 2018. Mr Kim will serve as President until 2020, completing the four-year
mandate of his predecessor Mr Meng, who resigned in 2018.
HISTORY OF INTERPOL
Interpol traces its history to 1914, when a congress of international criminal police, attended by
delegates from 14 countries, was held in Monaco. In 1923, following a significant increase in
international crime that particularly affected Austria, representatives of the criminal police forces of 20
countries met in Vienna and formed the International Criminal Police Commission (ICPC) that year. The
ICPC’s headquarters were established in Vienna, and the head of the Vienna police, Johann Schober,
became the organization’s first president. The ICPC flourished until 1938, when Nazi Germany annexed
Austria; the ICPC’s records were subsequently relocated to Berlin. The outbreak of World War II
effectively ended the ICPC’s activities.
After the war the ICPC accepted an offer from the French government of a headquarters in Paris
together with a staff for the General Secretariat consisting of French police officials. The ICPC was thus
revived, though the loss or destruction of all its prewar records required that it be completely
reorganized. In 1949 the ICPC was granted consultative status by the United Nations. From 1946 to 1955
its membership grew from 19 countries to 55. In 1956 the ICPC ratified a new constitution, under which
it was renamed the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol). The organization moved to its
present headquarters in Lyon in 1989.
Interpol was at first mainly a European organization, drawing only limited support from the
United States and other non-European countries (the United States did not join the ICPC until 1938).
Under the leadership of French Secretary General Jean Népote (1963–78), Interpol became increasingly
effective. By the mid-1980s the number of member countries had risen to more than 125, representing
all of the world’s inhabited continents; by the early 21st century membership had surpassed 180.
In the 1970s the organization’s ability to combat terrorism was impeded by Article 3 of its
constitution—which forbids “intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial
character”—and by a 1951 resolution of the General Assembly that defined a “political” crime as that
whose circumstances and underlying motives are political, even if the act itself is illegal under criminal
law. One source of these obstacles was removed in 1984, when the General Assembly revised the
interpretation of Article 3 to permit Interpol to undertake antiterrorist activities in certain well-defined
circumstances.
Interpol was reorganized in 2001 following the September 11 attacks on the United States. The
new post of executive director for police services was created to oversee several directorates, including
those for regional and national police services, specialized crimes, and operational police support.