British sociologist Svetlana Stephenson’s sober analysis traces the rise of Russian youth gangs out of the rubble of the country’s 1990s shock-treatment capitalism. As state enterprises disintegrated, working-class groups with their own codes of loyalty and a willingness to employ violence filled the void. Most interesting is Vladimir Putin’s identification with the values of the street gangs, which he may have been affiliated with as a lad in Leningrad. His behavior on the international stage reflects classic gang values of striking hard against perceived slights and dominance over turf. While his nation’s liberal intelligentsia frets, Russia’s gangsters admire Putin for his tough image.
