The old networks never die: they invoice
November 26, 2002
I see a new profession emerging: transition consultant. The word is clean and modern. The reality is far less so.
These men know the old ministries, the banks, the customs offices, the ports. They sell their address books. They open doors. They also close the mouths of those who might want to speak.
I am beginning to call this the transition networks. It is not a conspiracy — the word would be too convenient. It is the quiet continuity of what preceded the fall of the USSR. I am not talking about corruption in the ordinary sense. I am talking about a hidden, patient system that has simply changed its clothes.