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Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security Paperback – March 7, 2016

by Sarah Chayes (Author)

4.5 506 ratings

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Winner of the 2015 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Current Interest.

"I can’t imagine a more important book for our time." ―Sebastian Junger

The world is blowing up. Every day a new blaze seems to ignite: the bloody implosion of Iraq and Syria; the East-West standoff in Ukraine; abducted schoolgirls in Nigeria. Is there some thread tying these frightening international security crises together? In a riveting account that weaves history with fast-moving reportage and insider accounts from the Afghanistan war, Sarah Chayes identifies the unexpected link: corruption.

Since the late 1990s, corruption has reached such an extent that some governments resemble glorified criminal gangs, bent solely on their own enrichment. These kleptocrats drive indignant populations to extremes―ranging from revolution to militant puritanical religion. Chayes plunges readers into some of the most venal environments on earth and examines what emerges: Afghans returning to the Taliban, Egyptians overthrowing the Mubarak government (but also redesigning Al-Qaeda), and Nigerians embracing both radical evangelical Christianity and the Islamist terror group Boko Haram. In many such places, rigid moral codes are put forth as an antidote to the collapse of public integrity.

The pattern, moreover, pervades history. Through deep archival research, Chayes reveals that canonical political thinkers such as John Locke and Machiavelli, as well as the great medieval Islamic statesman Nizam al-Mulk, all named corruption as a threat to the realm. In a thrilling argument connecting the Protestant Reformation to the Arab Spring, Thieves of State presents a powerful new way to understand global extremism. And it makes a compelling case that we must confront corruption, for it is a cause―not a result―of global instability.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Norton
Publication date

March 7, 2016
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
ISBN-10

9780393352283
ISBN-13

978-0393352283
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Editorial Reviews

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"Makes a strong case that acute corruption causes not only social breakdown but also violent extremism. . . . An important book that should be required reading for officials in foreign service, and for those working in commerce or the military. The story will interest the nonspecialist reader too."
― Giles Foden, New York Times Book Review

"Should be required reading."
― Thomas Friedman

"[A] fascinating story. . . . [T]he central revelation in Thieves of the State: at a certain point, systemic corruption became not just a lamentable by-product of the war but an accelerant of conflict . . . Chayes argues, convincingly, [that state-sanctioned larceny is] a threat not just to Afghanistan’s national security but to that of the United States."
― Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker

"[Chayes] tells the story of what happened in Afghanistan brilliantly, and compares her experience there with the current corruption in Egypt, Russia and the dismal rest . . . [a] page-turner."
― Deirdre N. McCloskey, Wall Street Journal

"Essential."
― G. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs

"Informative, thought-provoking, very interesting and concisely written. . . . Through personal experience and her own research, Chayes makes a simple yet profound argument."
― Taylor Dibbert, Huffington Post

"A revolutionary book. Sarah Chayes weaves together history, adventure, political analysis, personal experience, culture, and religion in a shimmering and compelling tapestry."
― Anne-Marie Slaughter

"A vivid, ground-level view on how pervasive corruption undermines U.S. foreign policy and breeds insurgency. Thieves of State provides critical lessons that all policymakers should heed."
― Francis Fukuyama

"Sarah Chayes brilliantly illuminates a topic no one wants talk about―but we must. Corruption is an insidious force that is causing some of the most dangerous challenges our world is facing. It has to be at the core of America’s strategies, engagements and relationships for the twenty-first century."
― Admiral (ret.) Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

About the Author

An award-winning former NPR correspondent, foreign policy expert, and entrepreneur with ten years’ experience in Afghanistan, Sarah Chayes is an associate at the Carnegie Endowment and the author of The Punishment of Virtue. She lives in Washington, DC.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0393352285
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Norton; Reprint edition (March 7, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780393352283
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393352283
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #491,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #206 in Non-US Legal Systems (Books)
- #231 in Comparative Politics
- #436 in Political Corruption & Misconduct

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4.5 506 ratings

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Sarah Chayes

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My zig-zag trajectory has led from reporting from Paris for National Public Radio and covering the fall of the Taliban in 2001, to running a soap factory in downtown Kandahar in the midst of a reigniting insurgency. (Chronicled in "The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban"). By the end of my decade in Afghanistan, I was serving as special advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mike Mullen.

I left the Pentagon for a five year stint at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where I examined other developing countries considered corrupt, to see if patterns I had discovered in Afghanistan applied elsewhere. Turns out, they do. (See "Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security.")

Now, sick at heart, I have applied the same methodology to my own beloved country, the United States. Read the shocking results in "On Corruption in America -- And What Is at Stake."

I will be discussing those findings and their implications throughout the fall of 2020.

Then...having spent so many years "disenchanting," I claim my turn to enchant.

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4.5 out of 5

506 global ratings

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Per

A must read

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2023

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An eye-opening book about how organized corruption threatens democracy and security world-wide.

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BNB

A must-read for legislators and people with stars on their shoulders

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2015

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Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security, by Sarah Chayes, describes the nature and practice of corruption and its effects and consequences on the hapless citizens whose lives are governed by ruthless regimes. The book deserves the widest possible readership, and has been endorsed by luminaries such as Anne-Marie Slaughter, Sebastian Junger and Francis Fukuyama. It is a truly creative and original work.

What gives the book its credibility and authenticity is Chayes’ unique perspective. An experienced journalist, she launches and NGO and then establishes a soap-making cooperative in Afghanistan in the midst of the protracted military conflict, and, of necessity, must learn to deal with the endemic Afghan corruption. The experience yields invaluable insight into the problems of systemic corruption in Afghanistan, as well as in other countries Chayes examines in the book. This street-level view provides anecdotal material that succinctly illuminates how corruption alienates the Afghan people from both their government and the United States, which is seen as an enabler and protector of the corrupt regime. That alienation impels the disaffected Afghanis to join with the Taliban and other nefarious elements in the society.

Moving from her role as a struggling entrepreneur, the author, who speaks Arabic and Pashto, becomes a respected advisor and counselor to the highest level American military commanders working on policy issues. Here, she gains insight into policy formulation and frequently thwarted policy implementation.

Drawing upon her distinctive experience, Chayes is able to conceptualize and dramatically describe specific ways that Karzai’s kleptocratic autocracy misgoverns Afghanistan. She then aptly extrapolates her insight and experience to other vulnerable states, depicting the respective models they use to control and oppress their citizens.

One critical comment Chayes makes is that unless the US and other international stakeholders work actively to cure the problem of corruption, primary reliance on military solutions to profound political dysfunction will be counter-productive and eventually futile.

Be forewarned, the work melds different perspectives expressed in different voices from diverse points of view. It shifts from a first-person anecdotal narrative to a third-person journalist’s point of view, then shifts again to the dispassionate voice of a scholar. This creates some disjointedness in the narrative that the editors have had to struggle with. However, this is a mere quibble and does not detract from the book’s powerful delivery and message. Indeed, whatever the flaws, they are balanced by the coherent framework created by Chayes’ sparkling thematic discussion of the various “mirror writers.’ These were authors who, through the ages, recognized the importance of corruption to governance and warned princes and other rulers about the dangers and consequences of neglecting the problem. Also unifying the work are the pithily written chapters describing the different and shocking patterns of corruption existing in Egypt, Uzbekistan, Nigeria and several other states.

Admirably, Chayes goes beyond conceptualization and analysis. She provides a compelling blueprint for development of anti-corruption policies and activities in the Remedies chapter at the end of the work.

This work exhibits extraordinary cognitive intelligence in its ability to ‘connect the dots.’ Though this may be an unusual way to bestow an encomium in a review, I recommend that Chayes be nominated for a MacArthur grant; and at the April 2016 conference of the American Society of International Law, Thieves of State should be a topic of a symposium co-chaired by Chayes and Anne-Marie Slaughter.

Bernard M. Brodsky

3 people found this helpful

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K. J. Broekema

Interesting but flawed

Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016

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I was impressed by her first book and therefore had high expectations for this one. The book turned out to be very interesting and highly original, if it were only for the informed piece of Dutch history, therefore 4 stars, well deserved. However, for two reasons, I think the book is flawed. The first is that she too exclusively describes Afghanistan/African/Asian wrongdoing while all the westerners in these rooms look to be noble people, shocked when confronted with all this evil. Believe me, both sides are equally involved. Usually westerners take the initiative while the other side is passively facilitating. For every 100.000 bribe paid to them one gets 25.000 back of which one can keep 5.000. The rest goes to bosses whose protection one needs in case things go terribly wrong. The system would not work if only one side benefited. The second reason is her description of Patreus backtracking on his initial support fighting corruption because he had discovered that Karzai was directly talking to the CIA and there was nothing he could do about it. That is all she has to say about this issue. At the time it was widely published what business Karzai and the CIA were discussing. Afghanistan drugs pay for the weapons to fight the Taliban. Therefore the CIA faciltiates this drug trade and some papers even accuse them of outright selling these drugs on behalve of Karzai. There was a huge scandal when one of Karzai's ministers, mr. Massoud the sun of the famous general, was cought with 60 million drugs dollars in Dubai and the CIA had to use its influence to get him out with the money. For these two reasons I am left with the uneasy feeling that only half of the problem is discussed.

14 people found this helpful

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X-Diplo

An Eye-Opener

Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2015

Verified Purchase

An important book on a provocative theme. Chayes, drawing on her years of experience in Afghanistan and elsewhere, argues persuasively that the United States cannot achieve its foreign policy goals by working through partner governments so corrupt that they repel their own citizens. She also exposes the contradictions that occur as different agencies try to accomplish specific goals through corrupt instruments. My favorite story in the book tells oft a slam-dunk corruption prosecution in Afghanistan that was shut down suddenly without an explanation, undermining the whole anti-corruption effort. It turned out that, unbeknownst to the corruption fighters, the apparently minor official was a bagman transmitting money between the CIA and the highest levels of the Afghan government. Having spent a career as a U.S. diplomat, I found that to be all too credible - and depressing.

Another thing I like about this book is that Chayes starts out with an account of her own missteps and misperceptions when she first got to Afghanistan. You can tell she's not a politician - no politician ever admits a mistake!

In her final chapter, Chayes offers policy suggestions for raising the emphasis on good governance and honest government in U.S. partners. Unfortunately, it is hard to imagine how we could succeed. Cleaning up corruption in a place like Afghanistan (which ranks near the bottom of Transparency International's global corruption list) is a basic nation-building task that may be beyond the capability of any foreign power, however well-intentioned and well-funded.

I used this book as a class reading for my adult-education seminar in foreign policy. It was well-liked by all the participants and led to a lively discussion in class. Many of the class members were surprised and disturbed at the overwhelming top-to-bottom corruption in Afghanistan and many other U.S. allies in the developing world. I also used the session to introduce the class to Transparency International, which studies and reports on corruption around the world. I highly recommend the Transparency International website to anyone who is interested in this book.

9 people found this helpful

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Chillyfinger

Corruption as #1 Cause of International Instability

Reviewed in Canada on November 25, 2017

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As a world traveler, I welcome Sarah's book. At last, an authoritative treatment of the #1 problem facing the entire world. Sarah has a valuable inside track on the conduct of the Afghan war which has been and continues to be bungled for exactly the reasons she points out. The fact is that America has never been particularly interested in the welfare of the citizens in the countries it seeks to dominate. In case after case, this neglect has resulted in a shooting war, causing the deaths of thousands but never coming close to resolving the core issue: systemic corruption.

This is a timely reminder for Americans who now face an organized takeover of their government by the Russians and the Trump crime family. As money launderer in chief, Trump has facilitated kleptocracies around the world for years. Extensive business partnership with known criminals is a common thread in his building projects. Re-writing the tax code to put money in the pockets of the Trumps are another. Sweeping replacement of Federal judges by right-wingers and staffing the Federal government with otherwise incompetent individuals who will owe their position to the good graces of DT is another. It's not about policy. It's about corruption.

2 people found this helpful

Cliente Amazon

Extraordinário

Reviewed in Brazil on May 27, 2017

Verified Purchase

Estou amando o livro, de fácil leitura, as histórias contadas e a análise crítica elaborada seguem uma linha de raciocínio extraordinária. Recomendo a todos, principalmente os desinteressados no tema, para que abram os olhos. Livro impactante e necessário no contexto social em que vivemos.

3 people found this helpful

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Marcos Montane

Muy actual y original

Reviewed in Spain on June 7, 2016

Verified Purchase

Desde la experiencia en primera persona de la autora, esta explica desde un punto de vista original pero muy lógico la relación que hay entre corrupción y el auge de la violencia en algunos países, o de movimientos anti establishment en otros. Dinámico y profundo, es sorprendedente que la tesis defendida y explicada por la autora no sea mucho más extendida

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Eric J M Woehrling

This is one of the best books I have read this year

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 6, 2015

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This is one of the best books I have read this year. The thesis is simple: what makes insurgent and terrorist groups thrive in countries like Afghanistan is corruption and injustice, not religious beliefs or nationalistic impulses. Corruption makes their children go hungry and their businesses fail, and allows their property to be taken away. Injustice means that their wrongs are never righted, and in fact the corrupt exploiters are protected.

Chayes demonstrates that this corruption is not just perpetrated by small time officials seeking petty backhanders. It goes all the way to the top. In countries from Afghanistan to Algeria, Nigeria to Uzbekistan, it is the ruling elite which manages and takes most benefit from the corruption. The money flows to the top.

More shocking is her demonstration that Western governments deliberately and persistently turn a blind eye to this, indeed actively discourage its reporting. They are too close to and complicit with the corrupt governments with whom they are allies. In this respect, the West is actively propagating the circumstances which feed the terrorists with desperate volunteers who have lost everything - and therefore have nothing to lose.

Chayes presents her argument in writing which is crisp and incisive when analysing corrupt practices, and subtle and atmospheric when evoking the countries and people that suffer from them. She combines first hand personal experience with rigorous analysis of primary sources including US state department memos, informed by Medieval and Renaissance texts on good governance from a France to Persia. One of the most painful facts she presents in her magnificent book is that there is nothing new. Today's corruption follows the template of that against which the writers of "Mirror Books" were warning kings in the 13th century. Plus ca change.

3 people found this helpful

Galland5

The revenge of the 47 Ronin

Reviewed in Italy on September 4, 2015

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I am sure that what I shall find inside the book is something difficult to understand to an european mind but what I want is read the cronicle of the mere facts. I hope I shall find it understandable as many other books I bought in English Language.
Galland5

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