Near-Field Cosmology with Horizontal Branch and RR Lyrae Stars

The importance of horizontal branch and RR Lyrae stars is discussed in the context of cosmological arguments for the formation of the Galactic halo and its satellite dwarf galaxies. It is shown, in particular, that the Galactic halo globular cluster system cannot have formed from the accretion of ``protogalactic fragments'' resembling the very early counterparts of the present-day dwarf satellite galaxies of the Milky Way, or else its RR Lyrae properties would be very different from what is currently observed.