Difference between revisions of "Smotryashchie, kuratory (Russia)"

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Smotryashchie, kuratory (Russia) (view source)

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|style="font-size:1.1em;"| Post-Soviet politics has always been notable for its unique terminology, reflecting the uniqueness of local political practices. The term ''[[smotryashchie]]''  , which literally means ‘watchers’ or ‘overseers’, originates from criminal circles, when the  '' avtoritety ''  (‘criminal authorities’) would designate trusted individuals ‘to maintain order, resolve conflicts in prison, control the common fund of a criminal community, etc.’ (Vasylyev 2016<ref>Vasylyev. Ye. 2016. Author’s e-mail conversation with Ukrainian analyst Yegor Vasylyev, 7 September</ref>). ''Smotryashchie'' therefore had informal authority because of their bosses behind them and because their decisions were ‘guided by the laws of the criminal community’ (ibid).  
|style="font-size:1.1em;"| Post-Soviet politics has always been notable for its unique terminology, reflecting the uniqueness of local political practices. The term ''smotryashchie''  , which literally means ‘watchers’ or ‘overseers’, originates from criminal circles, when the  '' avtoritety ''  (‘criminal authorities’) would designate trusted individuals ‘to maintain order, resolve conflicts in prison, control the common fund of a criminal community, etc.’ (Vasylyev 2016<ref>Vasylyev. Ye. 2016. Author’s e-mail conversation with Ukrainian analyst Yegor Vasylyev, 7 September</ref>). ''Smotryashchie'' therefore had informal authority because of their bosses behind them and because their decisions were ‘guided by the laws of the criminal community’ (ibid).  


It is symptomatic of the inter-penetration of organised crime and politics in countries like Ukraine and Russia that the term is now widely used on the outside of prison. ''Smotryashchie'' may represent organised crime in politics, but the term is also used for those who look after the interests of oligarchs and regional clans, so the latter can keep a safe and deniable distance from corruption at the heart of government. They control the money flows and keep an eye on decisions that are supposed to favour their sponsors.
It is symptomatic of the inter-penetration of organised crime and politics in countries like Ukraine and Russia that the term is now widely used on the outside of prison. ''Smotryashchie'' may represent organised crime in politics, but the term is also used for those who look after the interests of oligarchs and regional clans, so the latter can keep a safe and deniable distance from corruption at the heart of government. They control the money flows and keep an eye on decisions that are supposed to favour their sponsors.
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In Ukraine the term has a long history, but it came into wider use after 2014. The centralised pyramid of corruption from the Yanukovych era was no longer around. The slogan of ‘de-oligarchisation’ was largely meaningless, but leading oligarchs took a step back from the more visible schemes of the old era. New President Poroshenko was not as crooked, but grew his business empire while he could. For all these reasons, ''smotryashchie'' were increasingly useful (Wilson 2016<ref>Wilson, A. 2016. ‘Survival of the Richest: How Oligarchs Block Reform in Ukraine’, ECFR. Available at: www.ecfr.eu/page/-/ECFR_160_SURVIVAL_OF_THE_RICHEST-_HOW_OLIGARCHS_BLOCK_REFORM_IN_UKRAINE.pdf; </ref>; Yaffa 2016<ref>Yaffa, J. 2016 ‘Reforming Ukraine after the Revolutions’, '' New Yorker'', 5 September. Available at: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/05/reforming-ukraine-after-maidan </ref>).
In Ukraine the term has a long history, but it came into wider use after 2014. The centralised pyramid of corruption from the Yanukovych era was no longer around. The slogan of ‘de-oligarchisation’ was largely meaningless, but leading oligarchs took a step back from the more visible schemes of the old era. New President Poroshenko was not as crooked, but grew his business empire while he could. For all these reasons, ''smotryashchie'' were increasingly useful (Wilson 2016<ref>Wilson, A. 2016. ‘Survival of the Richest: How Oligarchs Block Reform in Ukraine’, ECFR. Available at: www.ecfr.eu/page/-/ECFR_160_SURVIVAL_OF_THE_RICHEST-_HOW_OLIGARCHS_BLOCK_REFORM_IN_UKRAINE.pdf; </ref>; Yaffa 2016<ref>Yaffa, J. 2016 ‘Reforming Ukraine after the Revolutions’, '' New Yorker'', 5 September. Available at: www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/09/05/reforming-ukraine-after-maidan </ref>).


Another term that became more noticeable during and after the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014 was ''kurator'' or ‘curator’. ''Smotryashchie'' come from the informal arena. ''[[Kuratory]]'' on the other hand, exist because the normal authorities, who are themselves steeped in informal culture, chose to shift certain functions even further into the informal arena. According to one Ukrainian analyst,‘'' Smotryashchie'' are similar to ''kuratory ''’, but a ‘'' kurator''  is a non-official representative of a real authority’, whereas '' smotryashchie''  are official representatives of informal actors (Vasylyev 2016<ref>Vasylyev. Ye. 2016. Author’s e-mail conversation with Ukrainian analyst Yegor Vasylyev, 7 September</ref>). ''Smotryashchie''  are also more like delegates than representatives, and are more closely tied to their sponsors and to a certain set of rules; while kuratory are deliberately given a level of operational freedom.  
Another term that became more noticeable during and after the Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014 was ''kurator'' or ‘curator’. ''Smotryashchie'' come from the informal arena. ''Kuratory'' on the other hand, exist because the normal authorities, who are themselves steeped in informal culture, chose to shift certain functions even further into the informal arena. According to one Ukrainian analyst,‘'' Smotryashchie'' are similar to ''kuratory ''’, but a ‘'' kurator''  is a non-official representative of a real authority’, whereas '' smotryashchie''  are official representatives of informal actors (Vasylyev 2016<ref>Vasylyev. Ye. 2016. Author’s e-mail conversation with Ukrainian analyst Yegor Vasylyev, 7 September</ref>). ''Smotryashchie''  are also more like delegates than representatives, and are more closely tied to their sponsors and to a certain set of rules; while kuratory are deliberately given a level of operational freedom.  


According to one of the leading architects of the original Putin system, Gleb Pavlovsky (2016<ref>Pavlovsky, G. 2016. ‘Russian Politics Under Putin. The System Will Outlast the Master’, '' Foreign Affairs'', May/June: 10-17. Available at: www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russia-fsu/2016-04-18/russian-politics-under-putin</ref>), '' kuratory''  exist because the Kremlin has always relied on informal practices and twenty years of political technology. But '' kuratory''  were increasingly prominent after Putin’s return to the Presidency in 2012, reflecting the development of a ‘new governance style’ that ‘relies on indirection and interpretation rather than command and control’. In this system, ‘curators’ are ‘semi-official figures through whom state governance flows. A curator is a political bureaucrat, a project manager authorized by the Kremlin to operate through personal agents’ (11-13).
According to one of the leading architects of the original Putin system, Gleb Pavlovsky (2016<ref>Pavlovsky, G. 2016. ‘Russian Politics Under Putin. The System Will Outlast the Master’, '' Foreign Affairs'', May/June: 10-17. Available at: www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/russia-fsu/2016-04-18/russian-politics-under-putin</ref>), '' kuratory''  exist because the Kremlin has always relied on informal practices and twenty years of political technology. But '' kuratory''  were increasingly prominent after Putin’s return to the Presidency in 2012, reflecting the development of a ‘new governance style’ that ‘relies on indirection and interpretation rather than command and control’. In this system, ‘curators’ are ‘semi-official figures through whom state governance flows. A curator is a political bureaucrat, a project manager authorized by the Kremlin to operate through personal agents’ (11-13).
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