View source for Deep state

{{concept
|wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_within_a_state
|image=Deep state.jpg
|image_width=330px
|key_properties=Description
|key_property_headers=Description
|description=The deep state, state within a state, shadow government, permanent state or permanent government is a fluid network of individuals with ''de facto'' control of a national government. Many "democratically elected" governments work as fronts,  allowing the deep state to operate in secret while providing a level of plausible deniability. On matters of deep political importance, the public machinery of government is routinely subverted by agents of the deep state.
|glossary=The deep state, state within a state, shadow government, or permanent government is a network of individuals and groups which are in actual charge of a national government. The democratically elected government works as a front, providing a level of plausible deniability and allowing the deep state to operate in secret. On matters of deep political importance, the public machinery of government is routinely subverted by agents of the deep state.}}
''"Shadow Government" redirects here. For the group referred to as "The Shadow Government" see the [[7th floor group|7<sup>th</sup> floor group]].''

The '''deep state''' (loosely synonymous with the '''shadow government'''<ref>https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2017/03/03/right-wing-media-latch-deep-state-shadow-government-conspiracy-absolve-trump-russia-controversy/215555</ref><ref>http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-11-10/deep-state-unelected-shadow-government-here-stay</ref><ref>https://www.corbettreport.com/deep-state-rising-the-mainstreaming-of-the-shadow-government/</ref>, or occasionally '''permanent government'''<ref>http://www.salon.com/2015/10/21/this_is_not_a_democracy_behind_the_deep_state_that_obama_hillary_or_trump_couldnt_control/</ref> or '''permanent state'''<ref>http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/deep-state-what-donald-trump-influence-us-president-control-public-intelligence-military-a7614311.html</ref>) is in contrast to the public structures which ''appear'' to be directing individual [[nation state]]s. It is an intensely secretive, informal, fluid network of [[deep politician]]s whose [[deep state milieux]] effectively amplify their influence over national governments.

The phrase "deep state" derives from the [[Turkish]] "derin devlet". It emerged after the [[1996]] [[Susurluk car crash]] unmasked the [[Turkey/Deep state|Turkish deep state]]. It experienced a [[Deep state/2017 Popularisation|surge of use in 2017]], often not in keeping with the meaning attributed by the [[Peter Dale Scott|diplomat who coined the phrase]].

==Official Narrative==
[[image:Susurluk car crash.jpg|333px|thumbnail|left|The [[1996]] [[Susurluk car crash]], the [[deep event]] which lead to the coining of the phrase "[[deep state]]".]]
The [[official narrative]] of deep states used to be that they were "[[conspiracy theory]]". This position was modified in the last few years to the claim that they don't exist ''here''. In [[2013]] the ''[[New York Times]]'' defined the deep state as "''a hard-to-perceive level of government or super-control that exists regardless of elections and that may thwart popular movements or radical change. Some have said that [[Egypt]] is being manipulated by its deep state.''"<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20140102073615/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/22/opinion/sunday/a-wordnado-of-words-in-2013.html A Wordnado of Words in 2013], ''[[New York Times]]'', December 21, 2013. [[Grant Barrett]]</ref> Since the ''Times'' (like the rest of the {{ccm}}) is more or less a [[Corporate media/Deep state control|under the control of the deep state]], such a mention is very interesting. The implication of the second half of their definition is clear:- countries other than Egypt are ''not'' being manipulated by a deep state. A 2012 blog post at the [[World Bank]] is clearer still:- "''You think your country has undergone a transition to [[democracy]]...  You realize that there are powerful elite formations bequeathed by years, even decades, of authoritarian rule still able to block progressive change and protect their interests.''" The statement that "''deep states that exist in many youngish ‘democracies’''" avoids discussion of [[nation states]] which have long claimed to be democracies.<ref>[http://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/deep-state-confronts-accountability-revolution The 'Deep State' Confronts the Accountability Revolution], 2012</ref>. A 2013 book entitled "''Deep State''" would soften the term, making no mention of [[false flag attacks]] and bemoaning [[9-11]] "[[conspiracy theorists]]".<ref>''Deep State - Inside the government secrecy industry'' by [[Mark Ambinder]] & [[D. B. Grady]] admits the existence of a black budget in the USA but makes no mention of [[False flag attack]]s and declares "the [[JFK/Assassination|Kennedy assassination]]... the shallow end of the insanity pool — a place where otherwise reasonable thinkers can wade in unreasonable ideas... There was no cover-up. There was no conspiracy... But the nature of state secrecy ensures that there will always be [[conspiracy theorists]]. Kennedy is but one in a list that grows every day, despite the pesky meddling of the duo of logic and facts." pp.96 - 100</ref>

===2017 Popularisation===
{{FA|Deep state/2017 Popularisation}}
The phrase "deep state" experienced a huge rise in usage after the election of [[Donald Trump]]. In March 2017, in particular, [[corporate media]] outlets all seemed to be offering contradictory ideas about what the term might mean, some denying its applicability to the US (arguing that "There is no [[American Deep State]]... it just looks like there is")<ref>https://off-guardian.org/2017/03/21/there-is-no-american-deep-state-it-just-looks-like-there-is/</ref> others contradicting the original meaning by suggesting it was politically partisan.<ref>http://www.wnd.com/2017/04/war-declared-on-deep-state-political-agenda/</ref> This is an interesting development given the mound of evidence that the [[deep state controls corporate media]].

===Democratic façade===
Since about 1800, and particularly in the 20th century, [[deep states]] in many nation states have worked to maintain a cover of [[party politics]], focusing on personalities of individual [[politicians]] or issue of identity politics.
{{SMWQ
|authors=Ivo Mosley
|source_name=In The Name Of The People
|source_URL=http://ivomosley.com/in-the-name-of-the-people/
|date=2013
|subjects=deep state, elections, politics, the establishment
|text= Although elected representatives are supposed to be the ruling power we see them coming and going while the true powers in our lives — [[political parties]], [[bureaucracies]], [[business corporations]], [[the media]], institutions of [[law]] and [[justice]], [[quangos]], [[international treaty agreements]], [[financial systems]], [[regulators]] etcetera — get on with business.
}}
This façade was by and large successful at hiding the real business of [[deep politics]] from public scrutiny. In the 21st century, in spite of massive [[consolidation of corporate media]], this veil is proving increasingly thin.

==Behaviour==
[[image:Sirte libya.jpg|thumbnail|400px|In [[1977]], deep state operative [[Edwin Wilson]] sold about 20,000 kg of [[plastic explosives]] to [[Libya]], together with training in bomb making from US [[green beret]]s. The report of the [[1986 Bilderberg]] charged that "Libya is the principal sponsor of terrorism. It finances terrorist acts, it trains terrorist groups, it supplies arms, ammunition, passports and other documents to terrorists, and it uses its embassies, so-called peoples' bureaus, as weapons storehouses and sanctuaries for terrorists. Recently, Libya has been escalating its involvement in terrorism."]]
Deep states are probably dominated by [[psychopath]]s and [[sociopath]]s. To preserve their power, they must not only stay in the shadows, but frustrate radical and progressive [[social change]]. Control of [[corporate media]] is essential to the effective operation of the deep state. In the US this is effected through deep state control of the [[CIA]], which has huge influence over big media.<ref>See [[Operation Mockingbird]]</ref> With the apparatus of [[nation state]]s under their control, their subterfuges can be elaborate and complex. Like Mafia families, deep state groups have a common interest in hiding their existence at all costs, leading to cooperation in times of crisis. As a Turkish cartoon put it in 1997 "Deep state protects its own."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/26/world/blind-turk-is-going-to-jail-to-find-freedom-he-says.html Blind Turk Is Going to Jail To Find Freedom, He Says], The first ''[[New York Times]]'' article to mention the "deep state", from 1997</ref>

==Composition==
The core of deep state groups and [[deep state milieu]] could be summarised by [[Dwight Eisenhower]]'s "[[Military-industrial-congressional complex]]", although [[intelligence agencies]] are essential to their functioning. They are made up of:
* The leadership of [[intelligence agencies]];
* [[Deep politician]]s, i.e. individuals who set up [[deep state milieux]] and who broker agreements between other members of the deep state.
* Some senior or longstanding non-elected officials within government (e.g. top civil servants);
* Selected individuals with effective control of key [[commercial]], [[military]] and/or [[criminal]] groups in:
** The "[[defence]]" and "[[counter-terrorism]]" industries;
** The [[financial]] sector;
** [[Corporate media/Deep state control|Corporate media]]<ref>[http://www.voltairenet.org/article169316.html The "Deep State" behind U.S. democracy] - Voltaire Network 6 April 2011</ref>

===Supranational Nature===
{{FA|Supranational Deep State}}
It is an open question just how much deep state activity is control by the small cabal which control the [[US deep state]]. The name "deep state" suggests an immediate parallel with [[nation state]], which is not altogether misleading, at least historically, since these groups often evolved as secret cabals to control nation states. However, although originating in particular localities, deep state factions are highly interlocked in the 21<sup>st</sup> century [[deep politics]]. [[Peter Dale Scott]] refers in a recent essay to "A ''Supranational'' Deep State", noting how their international integration effectively allows deep states to evade even the limited control national governments had in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century.<ref name="PDS2014">[[Document:The State, the Deep State, and the Wall Street Overworld]]</ref>

===Fluid nature===
Power relations between deep politicians remain fluid, so deep states should not be be seen as alternative power ''structures'' to the visible organisational structures which they dominate. Relationships between [[Mafia]] families offer a suitable parallel, combining an often uneasy cooperation with occasional violent and sudden change. All deep state groups share share a common interest in preventing exposure of the ''real'' goings on behind the facade of [[electoral politics]], so even violently opposed factions can cooperate to hide the true nature of [[deep event]]s.

==Deep Politics==
{{FA|Deep Politics}}
"[[Deep Politics]]" is a term coined by [[Peter Dale Scott]] to describe the activities and issues of importance to the agents of the deep state. These may be only indirectly seen as connected to "politics"; in most countries of the world today, [[party politics]] is more or less used as a veneer to ''obscure'' the ''real'' considerations. In contrast to multiple levels of publicly aired political considerations, deep political motives are sometimes much simpler; [[Charlotte Denett]], for example, suggests that the deep politics of [[WW1]] and [[WW2]] actually centered on control of the [[Middle East]]'s resources of [[oil]] and [[natural gas]].<ref>[http://www.unwelcomeguests.net/684 The Supranational Deep State], 2 hour radio show</ref>

==Deep Events==
{{FA|Deep Events}}
[[Deep Events]] are the footprints of the deep state. Peter Dale Scott specifies 3 levels:
# ''[[Low level deep events]]'', typically unnoticed at the time, are discovered only as part of later investigations. 
# ''[[Mid level deep events]]'', typically accompanied by a set of cover stories to obscure their deep political significance.
# ''[[Structural deep events]]'', rare and ambitious, which to try to change entire societies, sometimes without them even knowing it.
The defining structural deep events of the late 20<sup>th</sup> century was the [[JFK Assassination]],  a [[coup d'etat]] that radically changed the US political scene.<ref>[[Document:The Coup of '63, Part 1]]</ref> which the establishment presented it to US citizens as the work of a "[[lone nut]]".

The defining structural deep event of the 21<sup>st</sup> century was the [[9/11]] attacks, which the [[perpetual war]] known as the "[[War on Terror]]". Details such as [[Larry Silverstein]]'s multi-billion dollar windfall and the [[9-11/Insider Trading|insider trading]] are widely known, but evidence is accumulating that these were but minor parts of much larger suite of financial frauds carried out by deep political insiders who capitalised on the opportunity.<ref>[[Document:Fifty Years of the Deep State]]</ref><ref>[[Document:Collateral Damage 911]]</ref>

==Cultural references==
The second series of [[Douglas Adams]]' ''[[Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy]]'' concludes with the protagonists having finally located the ruler of the universe (a.k.a. the "man in the shack") who makes the ''real'' decisions that are ascribed to the President of The Galaxy. The posthumously produced series three of the radio series (produced after Adams' death) diffuses this plot by suggesting that this was a psychotic episode. In the radio adaptation Trillian describes the idea of the secret ruler of the universe as a "[[conspiracy theory]]".

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==References==
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