Silovik
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Silovik (силови́к, plural: siloviks or siloviki, силовики́, from the Russian word сила for force) is a Russian word for politicians from the security or military services, often the officers of the KGB, the FSB, the Federal Narcotics Control Service and military or other security services who came into power. It can also refer to security-service personnel from any country or nationality.
Contents |
[edit] Derivation
The term, which can be exactly translated as "people of force", derives from the term "structures of force", which appeared in earlier Yeltsin's era (early 1990ies) to denote the military-style uniformed services, including military proper, police (Ministry of Interior), national security (KGB/FSB) and some other structures. These "structures of force" formed a de facto higher level inner cabinet under Yeltsin and Putin. Sometimes the term is translated as "strongman", which is not so correct. The drawback of this translation is that it obscures the particular career background of these persons, as described above.
[edit] Description
A common view in Russia is that the siloviki are generally non-ideological, are not corrupt, have a pragmatic law and order focus and have Russian national interests at heart. They are generally well-educated and bring past commercial experience to their government posts.[1] Many assume that the siloviki have a natural preference for the reemergence of a strong Russian state and may be less sensitive towards certain aspects of the democratic system.[1]
The siloviki do not form a cohesive group. They do not have a single leader and there is no common, articulated "silovik agenda." However, according to John P. Willerton, these security-intelligence officials brought the work ethic and skills - that Putin apparently favoured - to the administration.[1]
Senior siloviki under Putin's presidency included Sergei Ivanov, Viktor Ivanov and Igor Sechin, who had close working relationships with Putin and held key positions in Putin's governments. Willerton points out, however, that it is difficult to assess if their common security-intelligence background translates into common political preferences.[1]
[edit] References
[edit] Further reading
- "The making of a neo-KGB state". The Economist (The Economist Newspaper Limited). 2007-08-25. http://www.economist.com/world/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9682621. Retrieved 2007-08-24.
[edit] External links
- William Safire on the Siloviki
- The Siloviki in Putin's Russia: Who They Are and What They Want, Washington Quarterly, Winter 2007
- The Exile on Russia's brewing "Silovik war"
 |
This Russia-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
