DEEP STATE
I doubt that anyone hasn't heard the term "Deep State" at least once.
This term is particularly associated with Donald Trump's victory in the most recent US elections.
During our recent talk, a close friend of mine stated that, in her opinion, the "Deep State" and the "God particle" are concepts whose existence has been conjectured for decades but not demonstrated.
Is she correct?
Let's collaborate to strive for understanding.
The "Deep State" concept has been associated with a number of political events, including the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy; the Susurluk affair in Turkey that exposed the link between politics and crime in 1996; and the presidency of US President Donald Trump, who greatly popularised the idea by accusing various state authorities of obstruction.
Donald Trump's most recent campaign brought this word back into the public eye.
Definition: Deep State
Different definitions of "Deep State" exist in different eras and nations due to the lack of professional consensus on the term.
Wikipedia defines a "Deep State" as a type of government consisting of potentially secret and unauthorised power networks that operate independently of a state's political leadership, pursuing their own agenda and goals.
In modern usage, the phrase typically carries negative connotations and is often associated with conspiracy theories.
The belief that unofficial connections between public servants and outside organisations, which may be criminal or ideological in nature, hold greater political significance than the elected government is known as the "Deep State fear”.
The most extreme viewpoints, which maintain that the official government is a front for a secret and superior authority that controls everything behind the scenes, are indicative of stereotypical conspiracy theories.
Though rejecting such improbable hypotheses, more balanced viewpoints express concern about the corruption of the government and the subjection of regulatory agencies to different external interests.
Does the informality and secrecy of some state affairs under democratic systems necessarily lead to the formation of a "Deep State"?
As a former member of the intelligence community, I understand that citizens shouldn't be aware of some security entities' acts, but the democratic system has a way to control this.
However, populist political figures have mostly used the concept of the "Deep State" as a conspiracy theory around the world.
Is Trump simply a populist leader? Or...
Let's go back to the beginning.
Let's describe the "Deep State" and its origins.
We do not have a definitive answer to this question, as I have stated.
Typically, the phrase refers to purported military or government branches that are believed to function outside of the formal chain of command and authority.
Evidently, this network divides in a systematic and highly conspiratorial manner, operating behind the scenes and according to their interests and purposes, thereby undermining the policies of the elected government.
Derin Devlet
Turkish politics first used the term "Derin Devlet," which translates as "Deep State”.
In this instance, it alludes to purported covert ties between the Turkish mafia, right-wing paramilitary groups, and government officials. This phrase gained traction during the Susurluk scandal in 1996. A senior police official, a wanted criminal, and a member of the Turkish parliament were all riding together in a car that was involved in a traffic accident in the city of the same name. Inside the car, they discovered documents proving their cooperation.
Thirteen individuals received prison sentences five years later.
Many people in Turkey still think that there is a "Deep State" that exists to protect secularism.
The Deep State is believed to consist of high-ranking military personnel, retired bureaucrats, some politicians, the media, and hidden elements of the military and intelligence services; despite the lack of evidence supporting such theories.
Additional perspectives suggest that the Gladio Organization created the "Counter-Guerrilla" and the Deep State in Turkey during the Cold War to persuade Turkey to join NATO to counter the threat of Soviet communism spreading.
The English Constitution
The British author Walter Badgett's 1867 essay "The English Constitution" discusses the two governments of Great Britain and mentions the idea of the Deep State, but under a different name.
"As long as we have dual institutions—one worthy and intended to impress the many, and the other efficient and intended to rule the many—we should take care that they fit together nicely and hide where one ends and the other begins”, said Badgett.
Germany The Deep State
The idea of a "Deep State" is comparable to the Reichsbürger movement, which is viewed as a serious domestic threat in Germany. Far-right extremists comprise this movement, asserting the continued existence of the German Reich, a pre-1945 entity, and contesting the legitimacy of the Federal Republic of Germany.
In order to express their opinions, members of this movement frequently employ pseudo-legal strategies, refuse to pay taxes, and produce their own identification cards.
German authorities stopped a coup attempt in December 2022 that was planned by a group influenced by conspiracy beliefs like QAnon and the Reichsbürger movement.
The plotters aimed to overthrow the German government and establish a new one under the leadership of Prince Heinrich XIII, a minor aristocrat.
In order to accomplish their objectives, the plotters gathered weapons and recruited ex-military individuals with the intention of using force.
Anticipating their triumph, the group had drafted a new government structure and assigned people to cabinet-like positions. Although there is no proof that Russia approved of, or reacted favourably to their overtures, they attempted to collaborate with them.
Deep Politics and the Death of Kennedy
The 1993 book "Deep Politics and the Death of John F. Kennedy" by Peter Dale Scott is one of the works that popularised the idea of a deep state in America.
According to Scott, profound politics transcends official, constitutionally mandated government organisations.
He was able to identify the fuzziness of the distinctions between governmental and non-governmental organisations, which promote corruption and diminish openness.
Scott was "concerned" about America's intelligence services and their connections to industry and crime during the 1950s and 1970s, despite their lack of direct government involvement.
He suspected that the pseudo-government groups established to avoid democratic decision-making were responsible for the Watergate scandal and the Kennedy assassination.
America's Deep State
Even before Trump's appointment as president, there was discussion about the existence of two concurrent American governments. The stories claim that there is one government in Washington that is visible to the public and that there is another, more obscure, undefined government that is not subject to legal regulations and is invisible to visitors to the White House and the Capitol.
Additionally, after Trump won the 2016 election, discussions about the "Deep State" increased in America.
His followers view the "Deep State" as an administrative, bureaucratic state, with workers from federal agencies supervising the government's daily operations.
When the parties in power change, those civil workers remain the same.
Supporters of Trump began to believe that bureaucrats have interests distinct from those of the state, that they will either delay or not implement government initiatives, and that they will simply battle to maintain their positions during his first term.
Upon his initial election, Trump accused "unelected Deep State operatives" of disregarding the electorate's vote to advance their covert agenda. Trump referred to them as "a threat to democracy”.
Trump said that the "Deep State," through the Food and Drug Administration, was purposefully postponing the development of a COVID vaccine and the granting of a license to deploy it at the start of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
Trump's remarks after losing the 2020 election sparked the QAnon theory, which is based on unverified assertions that the former president is conducting a covert war against powerful satanic paedophiles in the media, industry, and government.
Because they seek to curtail the authority of regulatory agencies, Republicans have long harboured misgivings about the bureaucratic state. People are increasingly listening to what Trump says, after the most recent elections.
The American right-wing strategically condenses its long-term propaganda in this direction by highlighting worries about corruption and transparency with the term "Deep State”.
However, we anticipate that Elon Musk's election to his closest group of trusted individuals will ensure maximum transparency in the future Presidents and Government's work. That's what they're saying now, anyway.
Many right-wing Republicans believe the "Deep State" consists of a growing bureaucracy and an administrative structure that puts its own interests ahead of the state's.
Additionally, left-leaning Democrats view the "Deep State" as a military-industrial system that initiates and sustains wars to further its own agenda.
Where is the truth?
Is the 'Deep State' good or bad?
Even though politicians tend to criticize the Deep State, many scientists are still debating whether it could potentially benefit societies.
The way we define it will determine its outcome.
If we describe the "Deep State" as a negative phenomenon, a network of elements participating in a conspiracy against the elected government with its own agenda, we will perceive it as a threat to the formal government, its legitimacy, and its interests.
However, in contrast, it is a beneficial thing if the "Deep State" is defined as a military and political structure that endures and persists despite changes at the highest levels of government and maintains the continuity of state policy.
What are your thoughts about that?
Is there a "Deep State" or "Deep States" in the world?
What is their role?