AMERICA IN THREE LAYERS

16 October 2024

UNDERSTANDING FOREVER WARS

The Deep State – three layers

Aaron Good’s concept of the American state is a critique and a framework for understanding power in the United States - power that goes beyond the visible democratic institutions presented in the MSM. 

Good suggests that the true state comprises three interconnected layers of American power:

- the visible state, that governs and arbitrates justice, 

- supported by the deep state that assures security and continuity of interest, 

- on behalf of corporate America, the "overworld" he calls the Fortune 500; with connections to the underworld for certain ops such as assassination attempts :

1. The Visible or Madisonian State:

• This layer represents the familiar institutions of American democracy as outlined by James Madison in the U.S. Constitution. It includes the president, Congress, the Supreme Court, and elected representatives. These institutions are visible to the public, and through them, laws are passed, budgets are voted on, and political campaigns are conducted. This layer embodies the democratic ideals of representation and the rule of law but is largely limited in its scope and power.

2. The Security State:

• Often referred to as the "deep state" or the permanent state, this layer includes the military-industrial complex and the various intelligence agencies, most notably the CIA and NSA. Good emphasizes the massive scale of this layer, with a trillion-dollar budget and global military reach. This is the apparatus that wields significant power and largely operates outside public oversight. Military contractors like Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Raytheon benefit from this system, reinforcing a cycle where the U.S. is constantly preparing for or engaging in wars. According to Good, this state is always ready for war, thrives on conflict, and supports regime change operations when necessary.

• Importantly, Good argues that the CIA and other intelligence agencies operate in near-total secrecy. These agencies have little accountability, with oversight committees often functioning more as rubber stamps than genuine checks on their power.

3. The Overworld:

• The third layer, which Good calls the overworld, represents the corporate and financial elite that benefit from America’s global dominance. This includes Wall Street, Big Oil, and, increasingly, Big Tech, Big Pharma particularly at the time of covid. These industries are intertwined with the security state, as they profit from the military's global reach, oil pipelines, and data surveillance. The "overworld" works to preserve a global system that protects their interests and wealth through regulatory control, surveillance, and military backing. The overworld’s relationship with the security state is symbiotic; they provide financing, technology, and resources, while the security state ensures their continued dominance.

• Good also notes that this elite class is becoming increasingly tied to Big Tech, which now plays a critical role in surveillance, data collection, and collaboration with government agencies, as WikiLeaks and whistleblowers like Edward Snowden have exposed. Platforms like Facebook, Google, and Amazon are tied to the state through contracts with the NSA and other intelligence agencies, the infamous “back doors” for example, blurring the lines between private business and state power.

• The underworld. The CIA, for example, has historically been involved in covert operations, assassinations, and regime changes, often in partnership with organised crime or the "underworld." Eg attempts on the life of the Cuban leader.

Is the American Deep State Real?

• Aaron Good’s analysis suggests that the deep state is not just a conspiracy theory but a structural reality within American governance. The deep state refers to the networks of power that operate beyond the democratic institutions, shaping policies and ensuring the continuity of U.S. hegemony regardless of which political party is in power. Good criticises the notion that elections bring meaningful change, as presidents and politicians are quickly brought into line by the permanent state apparatus, as noted by Vladimir Putin in a 2017 interview where he observed that U.S. presidents enter office with ideas but soon are confronted by the men in dark suits and learn the reality of the purpose and machinations of the deep state and the extent of its influence.

Critical Review of Neoconservative Influence

• Good’s model is a critique of neoconservatism, particularly its role in expanding U.S. military intervention and perpetuating a global order, election after election, generation after generation, favourable to American elites. From Vietnam to Iraq and now Ukraine and Palestine, Good sees a pattern of endless wars, regime change, destabilisation operations, splintering polities all the easier to rule over and pillage resources, none of which serve the American “public interest”, but rather the security state and its corporate partners. These wars have cost trillions, drained public resources, and destabilised entire regions, while benefiting the military-industrial complex, Big tech and big oil interests. This does make one cynical as regards the stated moral purposes and practical legitimacy of U.S. exceptionalism and the true ends of its foreign policy.

Opening the Debate for Alternatives

• Good’s work opens up the debate on how the United States could move beyond this system. He challenges the necessity of maintaining a unipolar world, where U.S. dominance is enforced through military might and covert operations. Instead, he points to historical alternatives, like Gorbachev’s vision of a Common European Home with the UN-based international order, in place of the Pax Americana with the American “international rules-based Order”. The former focused on collaboration the latter on dominance.

• Moving forward, future historians may view neoconservative policies as a form of nostalgia - an attempt to cling to an outdated world order based on American supremacy. In a multipolar world, where powers like China and Russia and other rising BRICS nations, challenge U.S. hegemony, maintaining this Order becomes increasingly unsustainable and dangerous. The question arises: should the U.S. continue to pursue global dominance, or should it embrace a more cooperative, multipolar world order?

Conclusion

Aaron Good’s tripartite model of the U.S. state - comprising the visible state institutions, the supporting security apparatus, and the overworld beneficiaries - offers a comprehensive critique of the deep structures of power that drive American foreign and domestic policy. The deep state, in this view, is not a conspiracy theory but a structural reality, wherein the military-industrial complex, intelligence agencies, and corporate elites work together to perpetuate the goal of continued U.S. hegemony. By highlighting the dangers of this system, Good calls for a rethinking of America’s role in the world, urging for alternatives that focus on global cooperation rather than unending war and dominance, fighting for territories, resources and populations.