A great example of new history being made is found in Brazil (a situation I have written a lot about here).
William Langewiesche, writing for Vanity Fair this month, has an excellent article on the PCC network/gang called, "The City of Fear" (no link yet from outside the subscription wall). In the meantime, here's a great audio interview with him on NPR's Talk of the Nation. He articulates many of the themes found here.Another great article to read is by Monte Reel, "In Rio's Slums, Militias Fuel Violence They Seek to Quell" Washington Post, March 28, 2007. He examines the rise of the militias in response to the "Traffic" (aka, drug gangs) and finds them very similar in their approach (although they use different financing methods).