Thoughts of the Deep, Dark State

The Deep Dark State - definition. The state is a set of governing institutions. The deep state is the set of permanent institutions and employees, i,e, those not subject to change due to elections. The dark state is the set of governing people and institutions who have access to classified documents.

The deep and dark states need not be monolithic, just as the state itself can have various factions. 

However, the monetary incentives for the deep and dark states have a clear bias in supporting the status quo, and against competing civilizations.  The amount of money involved goes beyond the military-industrial complex to the overwhelming bulk of the economy. Thus, for example, people and institutions supporting Putin in the Ukraine War would not get far with the deep and dark states. Similarly, Bernie Sanders was for the most part opposed by the deep and dark states.

Good, patriotic intentions may be influenced by the need to earn a living and the desire to have greater agency.  There is something of a continuum on a line from patriotism to corruption.  This is true in every country.

The quesion, then, is: To what extent is one's worldview and culture based upon the more corrupt (or dysfunctional) end of the spectrum? How does this vary among countries and civilizations?

One possible conclusion is that all countries are equally corrupt and delusional.  Therefore, no war is justified.  Alternatively, one might argue that one should always support one's own country if it is impossible to judge who is right and who is wrong.  My personal opinion is that the details matter.  Some wars may be justified and others folly.  To the extent I still believe in democracy, I believe it is important to discuss the details.