Teaching Comparative Government and Politics

Monday, December 03, 2012

Guardian Angels?

The Wikipedia article about the Guardian Angels, describes the group as "a non-profit international volunteer organization of unarmed citizen crime patrollers."

I never would have compared Curtis Sliwa's group to the Cossacks of Imperial Russia until reading this account from the Boston Globe.

The questions for students of comparative politics involve the capacity of the state, the need for political integration, rule of law, and explanations for the need for paraprofessional law enforcement.

Russia's Cossacks start patrolling Moscow streets

Renowned for their sword-fighting prowess and notorious for their anti-Semitism in czarist Russia, the Cossacks are taking on new foes: beggars, drunks and improperly parked cars.

Cossacks on patrol in Moscow

With the approval of city authorities, eight Cossacks clad in traditional fur hats and uniforms patrolled a Moscow train station on Tuesday looking for signs of minor public disturbances.

The Kremlin is seeking to use the once-feared paramilitary squads in its new drive to promote conservative values and appeal to nationalists…

Tuesday’s patrol was a test run on whether the group can become an armed and salaried auxiliary police force, with the power of arrest, patrol leader Igor Gurevich said…

The conservative Cossacks have increased their political activity in response to an impromptu protest that feminist punk rockers Pussy Riot staged in Moscow’s main cathedral in February…

Russia plans to restore the functions Cossacks had in the imperial Russian army, where they were instrumental in repelling Napoleon’s invading army in 1812 and led pogroms against Jews. A 400,000-strong All-Russia Cossack Host directly subordinate to Putin is scheduled to be launched by the end of the year.