Joshua Filion, It's Just Business: Origins and Expansion of the Russian Mafia

It’s Just Business: Origins and Expansion of the Russian Mafia

By Joshua Filion

In modern history, one of the greatest threats to both state sovereignty and security is that of organized crime. Organized crime thrives in both legitimate and illegitimate markets and, as a consequence, produces individuals who are wealthy, influential and, above all, ruthless in their pursuit of affluence. When one examines the various groups who partake in organized crime, it is obvious that no organization is more ruthless and more successful than the Russian mafia. This paper shall seek to demonstrate that the Russian mafia is a) an NGO with extensive international reach and b) that the decentralized structure of certain gangs is crucial to this success.

It will begin with an overview of Soviet era crime and how that culture contributed to the rise of organized crime in post-Soviet Russia. It will then examine how the Russian mafia built on this history of crime and stepped into the power vacuum left by the collapse of the oppressive Soviet system. Finally, the specific case of Semion Mogilevich will be used to demonstrate the global influence of the Russian mafia as an economic force.

Camila Apablaza, Living in War: A Look at Child Soldiers

Living in war: a look at child soldiers

By Camila Apablaza

“[He] handed me the AK with two hands. I hesitated for a bit, but he pushed the gun against my chest. With trembling hands I took the gun, saluted him, and ran to the back of the line, still holding the gun but afraid to look at it. I had never held a gun that long before and it frightened me. The closest thing to it had been a toy gun made out of bamboo when I was seven.” ⁱ

Ishmael Beah, acclaimed author, is known for sharing his story as a child soldier in Sierra Leone. A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier received praise and admiration from the international community as Beah’s story was shared with the world. Ishmael Beah’s life changed dramatically at the age of 12 when his village in Sierra Leone was invaded; after months of wandering his war-torn country he was recruited as a child soldier. By age of sixteen, he had escaped the life of combat, had undergone rehabilitation at a center filled with children like him, and had been asked to speak at a United Nations conference in New York City. At the UN conference Beah represented the voices of children in Sierra Leone and spoke of the effects of war on his country.ⁱⁱ Since graduating with a political science degree in 2004, Beah has become a member of the Human Rights Watch Children’s Rights Division Advisory Committee. While Ishmael Beah’s story is known by many, the issue of child soldiers still has not received an appropriate level of attention. It wasn’t until the late 1970s conflict in Mozambique that the use of child soldiers was first brought to the attention of the international community, thus it remains relatively new to NGOs as do most human rights issues.ⁱⁱⁱ To argue that NGOs have failed to adopt this issue into their agendas is irrelevant as numerous organizations advocate for the abolition of child soldiers; progress made by the international community can be contested however. In addition, the gendered aspect of girls being forced into war has been disproportionately studied.

"War violates every right of a child -- the right to life, the right to be with family and community, the right to health, the right to development of personality and the right to be nurtured and protected."^iv Recruitment of children into war is not a human rights issue; it is one which destroys the utmost important foundations known to humanity—youth. The objective behind recruiting children into war is two dimensional, first to break the link between the abducted child and his or her family and also to initiate the child into rebel forces.^v Breaking this familial link not only impedes the child’s development but also breaks down societal ties. The abduction of children into warfare is systematically destroying communities and their structure, thus affecting the core of society both on the short term and long term basis. In addition, by restricting a child’s essential development, both socially and physically, their human capital is being jeopardized as well as all rights of the child are being violated.