Deep State

Extracted Attributes

• Definition

  An alleged secret network of especially nonelected government officials and sometimes private entities operating extralegally to influence and enact government policy.

• Accountability

  Members are not typically well-known to the public and are said to be accountable to no one.

• Origin of Term

  Coined in Turkey in the 1990s to describe a secret alliance between the military and other powerful entities.

• Associated with

  Conspiracy theories, particularly the QAnon pro-Trump movement in the United States.

• Nature of Influence

  Members may hold influence over the nation’s military, congressional leaders, intelligence agencies, law enforcement, or other aspects of governance, often hidden beneath layers of bureaucracy.

• Alternative View (Mike Lofgren)

  Not a secret, conspiratorial cabal, but teams of professional lobbyists 'hiding mostly in plain sight'.

• Power Source (Mike Lofgren's view)

  The power of money to shape decisions by members of both political parties, involving professional lobbyists and campaign donations.

Timeline

• The term 'deep state' originated in Turkey, referring to high-level anti-democratic coalitions. (Source: Web Search Results (Wikipedia, EBSCO))

  1990s

• Author Abdul-Azim Ahmed noted the term 'deep state' was used to refer to Egyptian military/security networks after the 2011 Egyptian revolution. (Source: Web Search Results (Wikipedia))

  2013

• Mike Lofgren published his book 'The Deep State', describing the power of money to shape decisions by members of both political parties. (Source: Web Search Results (Origins))

  2016

• The term 'deep state' gained popularity in the United States, particularly in political discourse, often associated with unelected government officials undermining elected leaders. (Source: Web Search Results (Wikipedia))

  21st century

• David Sacks voiced a theory about the 'Deep State' influencing political processes, specifically regarding Joe Biden's exit and Kamala Harris's consolidation of the Democratic party, on the All-In Podcast. (Source: Related Document (fdb82f63-85f0-430e-b962-67668fa45241))

  Undated (Episode 189)

Web Search Results

• Deep state | Research Starters - EBSCO

  The deep state is a rumored secret network within the government of the United States that is said to hold an undue amount of influence over the country. Members of the deep state do not hold any traditional legislative power. Instead, they may hold influence over the nation’s military, congressional leaders, or other aspects of governance. The members of the deep state are not typically well-known to the public, and their control is said to be applied in a subtle manner. [...] The term "deep state" refers to a purported covert network within the U.S. government that is believed to exert significant influence over national policy and decision-making, despite lacking formal legislative power. Advocates of this concept suggest that its members operate behind the scenes, impacting various facets of governance such as the military and intelligence agencies. The idea has historical roots, originally coined in Turkey to describe a secret alliance between the military, [...] ## Background The concept of the deep state is tied to the structure of the American government. The government of the United States was designed to provide the average person with some say in how that government operates. This typically occurs through the election of politicians who represent the views of their constituents when writing governmental policy. For this reason, the government was structured with three coequal branches, each designed to check the powers of the other.

• Deep state - Wikipedia

  In 2013, author Abdul-Azim Ahmed wrote the deep state was being used to refer to Egyptian military/security networks, headed by the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces after the 2011 Egyptian revolution, basically remnants of the former regime who are combatting the democratic transition. They are "non-democratic leaders within a country" whose power is "independent of any political changes that take place". They are "often hidden beneath layers of bureaucracy" and may not be "in complete [...] In the United States, the term "deep state" gained popularity in the 21st century, particularly in political discourse. It is often used to suggest that unelected government officials, particularly within the intelligence community, law enforcement, and military, work to undermine elected leaders or shape policy in ways that contradict democratic governance. The term has been associated with conspiracy theories as well as with legitimate concerns about the influence of entrenched bureaucracies [...] In Pakistan, the term "deep state" is commonly used to describe the powerful role of the military and intelligence services, particularly the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in shaping domestic and foreign policy. The Pakistani deep state has been accused of influencing elections, controlling media narratives, and supporting militant groups to maintain strategic interests in the region, particularly in relation to Afghanistan and India.Schofield, Victoria (2010). Pakistan: A Hard Country.

• Deep state conspiracy theory in the United States

  The concept of a deep state is a central tenet of the QAnon pro-Trump conspiracy theory movement. [...] Trump's supporters have used the term deep state to refer to allegations that intelligence officers and executive branch officials were influencing policy via leaks or other internal means. Political commentator and former presidential adviser David Gergen has said that the term has been appropriated by Steve Bannon, Breitbart News, and other supporters of the Trump administration in order to delegitimize the critics of the Trump presidency. [...] There have been precursors to the idea of a deep state conspiracy since at least the 1950s. The term deep state originated in the 1990s as a reference to high-level anti-democratic coalitions in Turkey, but began to be used to refer to the American government as well, including during the Obama administration. Allegations of a deep state conspiracy reached mainstream recognition under the first presidency of Donald Trump, who falsely claimed the "deep state" was working against him and his

• DEEP STATE Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

  plural deep states :an alleged secret network of especially nonelected government officials and sometimes private entities (as in the financial services and defense industries) operating extralegally to influence and enact government policy [...] The power of the deep state comes from experience, knowledge, relationships, insight, craft, special skills, traditions, and shared values. Together, these purported attributes make nameless bureaucrats into a supergovernment that is accountable to no one. That is a scary prospect.—David Rothkopf

• Deeper Than the “Deep State”: Follow the Money | Origins

  In 2016, he named his bookThe Deep State to describe the power of money to shape decisions by members of both political parties. Building on Eisenhower’s warning about normalizing democratic erosions, Lofgren noticed that “the state within a state” was not “a secret, conspiratorial cabal,” but teams of professional lobbyists, “hiding mostly in plain sight.” Image 7: Cover of the 2016 nonfiction book The Deep State by Mike Lofgren. [...] Cover of the 2016 nonfiction book The Deep State by Mike Lofgren. Especially with electoral campaigns increasingly dependent on expensive advertising, the loop inside the Washington Beltway had come to include, he observed, candidates spending more and more of their time courting the donations of the wealthy, donors seeking returns on their dollars, and politicians using campaign cash to divert attention from subservience to donors. [...] Loflandwrote: “The Deep State [is]…a corporate and private influence network with almost unlimited cash to enforce its will…. Fundamental policy continuity exists regardless of which party controls the levers of government.” With “Beltwayland” flow of money into politics largely accepted by the public, and resistance marginalized, Lofgren wondered, “Do elections matter?” Image 8: Signs in support of President Trump's goal of upending the deep state, 2024.

• Instance Of

  Q7725634