EDITOR'S NOTE the view from south lawn ast year marked the twenty-ffh anniversary of the and political and economic engagement amongst states. Journal of Politics & Society. I am proud that while Gottesdiener contests a large portion of the literature by the Journal has seen tremendous change over this arguing that increasing energy independence makes states Lperiod of time, it has maintained its position as the most less, not more, active in the international arena. Finally, Jas- acclaimed undergraduate publication in the social sciences. per Peet-Martel provides a critical evaluation of sport ‘mega Unlike prior editions that ofen focused on domes- events’ that are seen by developing countries as avenues to tic issues, every essay in the Spring 2014 Journal examines prosperity. Looking at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa an issue that is international in scope. Contemporary dis- and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Peet-Martel emphasizes cussions refect the increasingly globalized nature of the that these events ofen sacrifce democratic governance and world. However, these discussions require an in-depth, local development. rigorous understanding of the issues at hand, rather than Te past year of the Helvidius Group has been a glance at the daily headlines. I, along with the rest of the marked by a multitude of changes. During the last year, we Board, strongly believe in this mission. transitioned to a new design that makes the Journal more In line with this theme, the Journal begins with a accessible. Our twenty-ffh year anniversary invites refec- timely guest essay from Professor Kimberly Marten of Bar- tion, and pushes us to innovate in order to maintain our nard College. While the media focuses on the Russian inva- premier reputation. Our distribution model has changed to sion of Ukraine, Professor Marten directs attention to the refect the increasing emphasis on digital viewership. While role of local warlords in the current confict. For the frst print subscriptions remain our focus, the Journal can now time, our guest essay includes a Q&A, in which our Execu- be read on our iOS Newsstand and Android applications, tive Editor asks Professor Marten about the events unfold- in addition to a number of digital platforms such as Google ing in Ukraine. Scholar and EBSCO. Te writer of this year’s Peter and Katherine To- Finally, the Executive Board has focused on ofer- massi Essay, Daniel Sellers, challenges a widely accepted ing new online content. We believe it is important to keep tenet in development literature. A consensus has formed up with the new trend of expanding open-access research supporting Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen’s thesis that demo- oferings. Our website now features book reviews, conver- cratic governments create a level of accountability that pre- sations with professors, and summaries of interesting sub- vents mass famine. By complicating the narrative painted missions. While the Board is proud of our three percent by Sen, Daniel Sellers poses important questions for inter- acceptance rate for submissions, many papers that were not national development eforts going forward. selected for the Journal are incredibly innovative and worth In the Weatherhead East Asian Institute Essay, reading. Consequently, going forward, a few exceptional Edmund Downie challenges the widely accepted theory submissions not chosen for the Journal will be uploaded to that female participation in Chinese politics experienced a the website along with a summary written by a member of monotonic decline afer the Cultural Revolution. By point- the Board. ing to a modern trend towards gender equality, Downie Tese changes are only possible because of the en- complicates the old ‘declinist’ thesis of female participation. ergy and commitment showcased by the Board. We actively In the next paper, Steven Server examines the tech- try to strike a balance between bringing the Journal forward niques used to cultivate national pride afer the Mexican with the world around us, while grounding the Journal in Revolution. Server combines political theory with empiri- its mission—an unparalleled commitment to undergradu- cal research to examine the outlets through which Mexi- ate research in the social sciences—that has and will contin- can nationalism was engendered in its population. Going ue to distinguish it from its peers. I hope you enjoy reading across the Atlantic Ocean, Nadia Hajji evaluates Spain’s this edition, as it showcases the insight that undergraduate attempt to move beyond its troublesome past during the research can bring to the pressing issues of our time. Spanish Civil War. In particular, Hajji critically refects on the motivations for the main piece of legislation the state adopted to address the past atrocities. Te next three pieces refect the globalized nature Robert C. Baldwin of our current world. Maria Balgova evaluates an increas- Editor in Chief ingly popular belief that income equality and life expectan- cy go hand in hand. Using a statistical approach, she con- New York City cludes that such a relationship cannot be substantiated. Ben May 2014 Gottesdiener also uses an econometric method, but is inter- ested in the relationship between energy interdependence, GUEST ESSAY ukraine and the problem of local warlords kimberly marteni midst all the talk of whether the Russian or that feed of tacit collusion by corrupt state ofcials. Ukrainian government bears greater respon- At the moment, we do not know much about sibility for the violence in eastern Ukraine and the individuals who have seized power in eastern and AOdessa, we may be losing sight of a crucial dynamic southern Ukraine. Tere is good evidence, though, that is happening on the ground. Local armed men in that at least some of them truly are locals and that they Donetsk, Luhansk, Odessa and elsewhere have started do not really constitute rebel forces. For example, C. down the slippery slope to warlordism — and Mos- J. Chivers and Noah Sneider of the New York Times cow may be encouraging this trend. have profled a commander named Yuri, who is able to Warlords, as I discuss in my 2012 book of that control a militia of 119 fghters in Slovyansk because same name, are individuals who control small slices of of his past work as a Soviet Army unit commander in territory using a combination of force and patronage. Afghanistan. Yuri and his men do not seem to have Tey are distinct from rebels, because their goal is not any clear goals — not of leaving Ukraine, joining Rus- really to overthrow a government. Instead they ofen sia, or declaring their own independence. Tey are cooperate and collude with weak, corrupt, or fright- not united by ideology, just by their military train- ened state employees (including bureaucrats and se- ing and by anger at Ukrainian leaders they consider curity forces) to maintain their local control. While illegitimate. It appears that at least some of the local they may have ideologies and passions, warlords are population values the protection they provide, but it is fundamentally self-interested: What they want more not clear exactly from whom they are protecting that than anything else is to stay in a position of power, so population. Ukrainian-appointed local police ofcers they can coerce and blackmail their opponents while apparently cooperate with Yuri’s unofcial militia controlling payouts to their allies and clients. even as they go about their paid duties, and Yuri’s men Warlords are not just machine-boss politicians, claim to have bought at least one anti-tank grenade- because they are backed by private militias that are launcher from corrupt Ukrainian soldiers. willing to go to war to keep them in control. And Kiev has been announcing ever since April 13 while they are sometimes popular, and good at distrib- that it is launching a major military operation to take uting the wealth to their communities, warlords rely back “rebel” held territory in Slovyansk and elsewhere, on illegal activities like smuggling and informal fnan- and Russian President Vladimir Putin has rumbled cial links with outside players—not local taxes—for ominously about his right to intervene to protect the their resources. Tis latter point is crucial, because as population in what he calls “Novorossiya.” But the Margaret Levi points out in her classic book, “Of Rule longer that Kiev and Moscow practice what amounts and Revenue,” taxation over the long-term works only to a military stalemate, the more opportunity local when it is matched by accountability to the people. armed actors have to change the actual power balance Otherwise tax collectors face constant rebellion (as we on the ground. Tey can ensure that either the Rus- know from the history of the American Revolution). sian or the Ukrainian state that eventually triumphs A warlord doesn’t have to worry about accountability will have to bargain with them in the future. — just about keeping down local challengers. Once ensconced in positions of local power, war- Warlords rise up any time states become too lords and their threats of violence are hard to dislodge. weak to control their own territories. All nations and States that want to regain control over their territories all cultures produce people who are willing and able have to overcome the corruption that encourages their to use force for their own purposes; strong states pros- own employees to collude with the warlords. Tey also ecute those people and put them in prison. Organized need fne-grained local intelligence to successfully co- criminals all over the world run “protection” rackets erce or buy of warlord support networks. i Kimberly Marten is the Ann Whitney Olin Professor of Political Science at Barnard College. Tis piece originally appeared in the Washington Post's "Monkey Cage" blog. guest essay: ukraine and the problem of local warlords Buying of a network becomes much harder in that power structure, and knew everyone and knew when it extends to a neighboring capital, and indeed who had to be paid of and how much they had to be that might be just what Moscow has in mind in this paid, and how to make a deal with them to join the case.