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@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ maintain control and obedience.
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## **Coercion and Manipulation**
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Now, let's consider how a state can manipulate its population while
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maintaining the illusion of being clean, protective, and trustworthy. It's a
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@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ Because if you don't know something is wrong, why wouldn't you trust it?
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### **On the Use of Secrecy**
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Take countries like Russia, China, or North Korea - secrecy is extreme, and
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those who try to expose the truth risk disappearing or spending the rest of
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@ -130,7 +130,7 @@ not everyone is able or willing to take.
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### **Media and Narrative Control**
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Information is power. And controlling it? That's one of the state's most
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powerful tools.
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@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ another tool in the state's arsenal to guide thought and reinforce obedience.
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#### **A case Study: the last US Presidential election**
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Let's take a recent real-life example to illustrate this. In the United
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States, Elon Musk, the CEO of X (formerly Twitter), decided to support Donald
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@ -214,7 +214,7 @@ open debate.
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### Rights and Social Control
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One last reason people trust states is because of the rights they're granted.
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When a state gives its population rights, people tend to trust it almost
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@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ carefully crafted narrative designed to make people feel powerless and
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dependent.
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*If you want to go deeper in this topic, you could read **"The Social Contract"** by Jean-Jacques Rousseau*
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*Rousseau’s seminal work argues that governments, through the social contract, claim authority to grant and limit rights in exchange for protection. However, the very idea that a government can both grant and take away rights can be seen as an assertion of control, not an act of benevolence. This is central to the idea of why rights are not inherent to individuals, but often treated as "gifts" from the state.*
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*Rousseau's seminal work argues that governments, through the social contract, claim authority to grant and limit rights in exchange for protection. However, the very idea that a government can both grant and take away rights can be seen as an assertion of control, not an act of benevolence. This is central to the idea of why rights are not inherent to individuals, but often treated as "gifts" from the state.*
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## **Examples from the past**
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@ -280,25 +280,25 @@ The case highlighted not only the danger of state-sponsored assassination of pol
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*Source: "The Litvinenko Enquiry: Final Report" by Sir Robert Owen*
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Another notable example involves Italy's involvement in the 1980 Bologna train station bombing, often referred to as "Italy’s strategy of tension".
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Another notable example involves Italy's involvement in the 1980 Bologna train station bombing, often referred to as "Italy's strategy of tension".
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On August 2, 1980, a bomb exploded in the Bologna train station, killing 85 people and injuring over 200. The bombing, which was one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in Italy's post-war history, initially pointed to far-left extremist groups. However, as investigations continued, it became apparent that the situation was far more complex—and sinister—than originally thought.
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Over the years, evidence began to emerge suggesting that members of Italy’s state apparatus—including the military, intelligence services, and neo-fascist groups—might have been involved in orchestrating or at least enabling the bombing. This was part of a broader strategy, sometimes referred to as the "strategy of tension," where violent events were allegedly used by elements within the state to manipulate public opinion and justify repressive measures against left-wing movements, which were gaining significant momentum in Italy at the time.
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Over the years, evidence began to emerge suggesting that members of Italy's state apparatus—including the military, intelligence services, and neo-fascist groups—might have been involved in orchestrating or at least enabling the bombing. This was part of a broader strategy, sometimes referred to as the "strategy of tension," where violent events were allegedly used by elements within the state to manipulate public opinion and justify repressive measures against left-wing movements, which were gaining significant momentum in Italy at the time.
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In the decades that followed, investigations uncovered links between far-right militants and members of the Italian secret services, as well as possible complicity by high-ranking government officials. However, many of those responsible for the bombing were either never caught, given light sentences, or cleared of charges. For years, the truth was hidden, and the families of victims faced not only grief but also frustration at the lack of accountability.
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*Source: "The Strategy of Tension: Terrorism, Italy and the Strategy of Tension" by John Foot*
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A recent example is the Myanmar military’s crackdown on the Rohingya Muslims in 2017. The military launched a brutal campaign in Rakhine State, killing thousands and forcing 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. The Myanmar government initially denied the atrocities, calling it a counterinsurgency operation. In 2018, two Reuters journalists investigating the violence were arrested, highlighting the government's efforts to suppress information.
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A recent example is the Myanmar military's crackdown on the Rohingya Muslims in 2017. The military launched a brutal campaign in Rakhine State, killing thousands and forcing 700,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. The Myanmar government initially denied the atrocities, calling it a counterinsurgency operation. In 2018, two Reuters journalists investigating the violence were arrested, highlighting the government's efforts to suppress information.
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In 2019, a UN report accused the military of genocidal intent, and the International Court of Justice took Myanmar to court for genocide. Despite this, Myanmar's military continued to deny the atrocities, and the situation remains unresolved, with the Rohingya still facing persecution. This case shows how state-backed violence and secrets can be concealed and denied for years.
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*Source: "Myanmar’s Rohingya Crisis and the Responsibility of the International Community" by the United Nations*
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*Source: "Myanmar's Rohingya Crisis and the Responsibility of the International Community" by the United Nations*
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As you can see, all over the world, states are carrying out illegal and inhumane actions while attempting to conceal them from the public. Sometimes, information leaks, and a scandal arises, but how can we ever know how many things have never been exposed?
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# **Statism: concentration of power in the hands of the few**
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One of the most dysfunctional aspects of the state is that a small group of
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individuals holds the majority of the power. This concentration of power often
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@ -332,9 +332,9 @@ functions. By the time you're faced with the state's concentration of power,
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you're already conditioned to accept it as normal.
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*An interesting and complete work performed on this topic is **"Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison"** by Michel Foucault*
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*Foucault’s seminal work examines how modern institutions (such as schools, prisons, and military structures) have historically shaped individuals to accept hierarchical authority and unquestioned obedience. His theory of disciplinary power argues that the structures in society—from childhood to adulthood—train people to internalize authority and power dynamics. This forms a foundation for understanding how individuals are conditioned to accept concentrated power without resistance.*
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*Foucault's seminal work examines how modern institutions (such as schools, prisons, and military structures) have historically shaped individuals to accept hierarchical authority and unquestioned obedience. His theory of disciplinary power argues that the structures in society—from childhood to adulthood—train people to internalize authority and power dynamics. This forms a foundation for understanding how individuals are conditioned to accept concentrated power without resistance.*
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## Statism: a dysfunctional power dynamic
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@ -345,7 +345,7 @@ accepted by populations - let's dive into why it shouldn't work like this. At
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its core, what's happening is that a small group of people are making
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decisions about every aspect of your life without even consulting you. This
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concentration of power isn't just an issue of practicality; it's a fundamental
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problem of fairness, autonomy, and personal freedom. 
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problem of fairness, autonomy, and personal freedom. 
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Take something as basic as your salary. A portion of your income is taken by
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taxes to fund services that you may never use or agree with. Imagine having
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@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ This is the danger of having a system where decision-making is limited to a
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few. Without proper checks and balances, and without a system that holds those
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in power accountable, the risk of corruption grows exponentially.
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Small groups of people holding most of the power also create a serious issue
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when it comes to counterpower - the ability to challenge or oppose that power
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@ -421,7 +421,7 @@ This concentration of power silences potential alternatives and ensures that
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only the voices of those in control are amplified. A healthy, functioning
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society requires diverse, independent sources of power that can act as checks
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on each other. But in a system where a small group of people holds the reins,
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real counterpower becomes just a far-off ideal. 
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real counterpower becomes just a far-off ideal. 
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*The book **"The Anatomy of Power"** by John Kenneth Galbraith covers corruption in small groups.*
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*Galbraith, in this influential work, explores how the concentration of economic and political power leads to corruption. He argues that when a small group controls key resources, they can manipulate laws and regulations to benefit themselves and protect their power. The more concentrated the power, the easier it is for those in charge to exploit their position for personal gain.*
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@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ truly have power? Are elections even fair if they are influenced by money,
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media, and algorithms designed to sway voters? Can we call a system democratic
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when the voices of the majority are drowned out by the interests of a few?
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 There's one main aspect that should convince you that
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 There's one main aspect that should convince you that
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democracies, as we once understood them, are over. If you look at who people
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are actually voting for, you'll start to realize that they're not choosing
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real representatives from the population - they're choosing people who have
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@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ blur, because at the end of the day, they're not really on different sides;
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they're all part of the same elite political network, doing what they're
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trained to do.
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*The book **"The Triumph of the Political Class"** by Angelo M. Codevilla shares my thoughts about it.*
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*Codevilla explores how the rise of a political class in the United States has undermined true democratic representation. He argues that the political class is increasingly disconnected from the average citizen, creating a divide between the elites who hold power and the general population. The political class, according to Codevilla, is more interested in maintaining its own power than genuinely representing the interests of the people.*
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@ -546,7 +546,7 @@ the hands of a few elites. In fact, by doing so, they may be more insidious
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than overt dictatorships, as their control is masked behind the facade of
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democracy.
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*The book **"The Origins of Totalitarianism"** by Hannah Arendt describes this process.*
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*Arendt's seminal work discusses how totalitarian systems rise and how they can emerge even in societies that consider themselves democratic. She explores the dangers of concentration of power, mass surveillance, and the suppression of dissent, pointing out that many democracies have the same authoritarian tendencies that dictatorships do, especially when leaders use populist rhetoric and media manipulation to consolidate power.*
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