Russia’s resurgent druzhiniki (volunteer civilian patrols) provide an interesting example of old-fashioned democratic action that has nothing to do with ballot boxes or liberal rights:
Druzhiniki all but disappeared after the Russian government withdrew its support with the collapse of the Soviet Union, but re-emerged in force in Moscow following terrorist attacks on two apartment buildings that killed hundreds in 1999, said Irina Svyatenko, a Moscow City Parliament member.
“At that time, people just decided to start patrolling their neighborhoods,” she said. “They did not ask anyone for permission, and there was no government initiative. People just decided that this was needed.”
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Ethics of Rhetoric in Times of War
What we say matters. And the way we say it matters. This is especially true in times…
How the State Failed Noelia Castillo
On March 26, Noelia Castillo, a twenty-five-year-old Spanish woman, was killed by her doctors at her own…
The Mind’s Profane and Sacred Loves
The teachers you have make all the difference in your life. That they happened to come into…
