Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
The term ‘deep state’ is similar to the idea of a “state within a state’.
It became contemporarily famous in Turkey to describe the secrete state people do not see or hear about. It combines the army, judiciary, administration, bureaucratic, economic and media institutions that have special interests and agendas they defend and for which block the democratic process.
The concept is used in the western hemisphere to describe the executive authority which works secretly as part of the state. It carries out illegal acts secretly, and when the operations are unveiled publicly, no one take the responsibility for the crimes.
This means that the ‘deep state’ usually faces a problem related to legitimacy; therefore, problems are solved by keeping operations classified.
The political agenda of a deep state lies in loyalty to interests. Violence and overt and covert means of pressure are used to influence the political, economic, media and cultural elite to ensure achievement of special agendas within the ostensibly democratic framework of the political powers.
According to researcher Esraa Ahmed, a deep state represents a historical development to coups. It divides coups into two categories. First, traditional military coups like the ones that were prevalent in Africa and Latin America during the cold war. It is characterised by sudden change of laws, not gradual change, and the use of force or the threat of using it.
The second is post-modern coups. A government, which comes to power by democratic means, gradually undermines democratic institutions to maintain its grip on power.
Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations says the hallmark of post-modern coups is that they are more subtle as they don’t mainly depend on force or violence, but on informal state institutions to achieve their goals.
The deep state in the Arab world sums up all problems in the ability to make cantons, where corruption grows and corrupt people turn into heroes, leaders and rulers.
The deep Arab state has been able for a long time, and still has the ability to eliminate legitimate demands and stop the wheel of reforms and democratic transition.
It has targeted and confronted national powers in society, including the youth, who raised slogans of change on the streets since the beginning of revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and now Iraq.
What goes around comes around. However, change is coming inevitably, and time is the decisive factor for people and states. Even if these states are deeper than depth, the pickaxe of demolition has exposed the deep state wherever it is found and whichever way formed.
The term ‘deep state’ is similar to the idea of a “state within a state’.
It became contemporarily famous in Turkey to describe the secrete state people do not see or hear about. It combines the army, judiciary, administration, bureaucratic, economic and media institutions that have special interests and agendas they defend and for which block the democratic process.
The concept is used in the western hemisphere to describe the executive authority which works secretly as part of the state. It carries out illegal acts secretly, and when the operations are unveiled publicly, no one take the responsibility for the crimes.
This means that the ‘deep state’ usually faces a problem related to legitimacy; therefore, problems are solved by keeping operations classified.
The political agenda of a deep state lies in loyalty to interests. Violence and overt and covert means of pressure are used to influence the political, economic, media and cultural elite to ensure achievement of special agendas within the ostensibly democratic framework of the political powers.
According to researcher Esraa Ahmed, a deep state represents a historical development to coups. It divides coups into two categories. First, traditional military coups like the ones that were prevalent in Africa and Latin America during the cold war. It is characterised by sudden change of laws, not gradual change, and the use of force or the threat of using it.
The second is post-modern coups. A government, which comes to power by democratic means, gradually undermines democratic institutions to maintain its grip on power.
Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations says the hallmark of post-modern coups is that they are more subtle as they don’t mainly depend on force or violence, but on informal state institutions to achieve their goals.
The deep state in the Arab world sums up all problems in the ability to make cantons, where corruption grows and corrupt people turn into heroes, leaders and rulers.
The deep Arab state has been able for a long time, and still has the ability to eliminate legitimate demands and stop the wheel of reforms and democratic transition.
It has targeted and confronted national powers in society, including the youth, who raised slogans of change on the streets since the beginning of revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria and now Iraq.
What goes around comes around. However, change is coming inevitably, and time is the decisive factor for people and states. Even if these states are deeper than depth, the pickaxe of demolition has exposed the deep state wherever it is found and whichever way formed.
