The Deep State+
   Date :10-Jan-2025

rhyme and reason new
 
By Kartik lokhande :
 
The web of unelected persons wielding influence in political dispensation, businesses, power brokers, lobbyists, influencers operating in collusion with gullible officials in the government, may be referred to as the ‘deep state’. However, today the ‘deep state’ runs through security, economy, and technology triad. Besides, there are reasons enough to suspect existence of ‘competing deep states’ with different motivations. The roots of this could be traced to the European imperialism and the Chinese expansionism. Though the common man lacks awareness about existence of such deep powers, he faces the consequences on and off in different ways.
 
TODAY, the world boasts of the rise of multilateralism, which is effectively dismantling the Old World Order that was largely bipolar. This also means emergence of new groupings with shared interests. However, when a constituent of a grouping is a member of another rival grouping too, its nature of response to friends from the former grouping changes. But, nowhere can one take open stand against others because of multiple friendships. Still, to serve own interests, an informal sub-surface shadowy power is put into action. Previously, it was the US alone that became infamous for the existence of this ‘Deep State’.
 
Today, there may be multiple ‘deep states’ operating at a time, making the world a lot more complex than it was previously. The expression ‘Deep State’ has become synonymous with the shadowy operations emanating from the American power corridors. It is said that the term ‘Deep State’ was coined in Turkey. But, the concept may have been in existence since the era of kingdoms when real ‘game of thrones’ might have been played in power corridors. However, it has come quite a distance. In the era of multilateralism, it has evolved into a global mechanism serving competitive interests. But, this mechanism blossomed through the defence and intelligence contracts given by the US government structures. Some of the operatives grew big and started their own enterprise of sorts. There may be some operating to do economic hit jobs. Some may be serving the powerful elected representatives of different countries. But, all of them put together form a web that may sound like a fascinating film material. Of course, not all are operating with ulterior motive. They have to be sub-surface and informal because there may be operations that cannot be openly championed by any government.
 
The web of unelected persons wielding influence in political dispensation, businesses, power brokers, lobbyists, influencers operating in collusion with gullible officials in the government, may be referred to as the ‘deep state’. Earlier, this shadowy power served the political goals of formal and visible elected power in the US. It involved snooping on the opposition, collecting information about certain ‘entities of interest’, and funding some groups to peddle the narrative convenient to the powers that be. Now, it runs through security, economy, and technology triad. There are reasons to suspect existence of ‘competing deep states’ with different motivations. The roots of this could be traced to the European imperialism and the Chinese expansionism. Though the common man lacks awareness about existence of such deep powers, he faces the consequences on and off in different ways.
 
In one of the Indian films, there was an interesting dialogue in which one of the characters says to another, “Government may be yours, but the system is ours.” The ‘deep state’ with shadowy intentions operates to influence policies, law-making, tax structures, find legal ways to offer escape route to high-stakes individuals involved in a crime or illegal activities, conduct surveillance on individuals, and put in or take out investment in the market of a country. Common man may feel the impacts of these. More recently, the ‘deep state’ is being talked about in public discourse. Many in Government circles across the world call the existence of ‘deep state’ as a ‘conspiracy theory’. But, some incidences arouse suspicion like it did after the ouster of Ms. Sheikh Hasina as Prime Minister of Bangladesh. It appears that the Communist China also has started deploying its own version of ‘deep state’ to make inroads into the US academia, healthcare, economy as well as in global institutions.
 
Turkey, too, has been collaborating with countries to forge a bloc opposed to the US. In a small and weak country like Pakistan, credit for the instability and fundamentalism is given to its domestic ‘deep state’ that comprises elements from the religious sects to military to all-powerful intelligence agency ISI, some of whom collaborate with China as well as the US both. Some even link the name of philanthropist multi-billionaire Mr. George Soros and some international foundations to the American ‘Deep State’. That is why, when Mr. Soros made a statement against Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, suddenly Indian public discourse shook into awareness about the shadowy powers.
 
The episode with Canada, wherein the now-resigned Prime Minister Mr. Justin Trudeau had bend backwards to appease the Khalistani extremists operating from Canada but acting against Indian sovereignty, also indicated how the Khalistani separatists wielded heavy influence on Mr. Trudeau’s party and administration. Many viewed Mr. Trudeau’s failure to act against Khalistanis, and instead trying to accuse India with support from the US administration under outgoing President Mr. Joe Biden, as a display of dutifulness to the ‘Deep State’ agenda. For, Canada along with the US is a member of the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence grouping, which is suspected of orchestrating certain things to put emerging powers like India in the dock while masquerading as friends of these new powers. No wonder if the new powers feel compelled to think about having own versions of ‘deep state’ making use of a combination of intelligence, technology, corporations, economic thought. In the era of multilateralism, this is not impossible. In that case, multiple competing ‘deep states’ will come into existence. That situation may be referred to as ‘The Deep State+’. Only time will decide whether the world will be equipped to deal with the complexities arising out of it.