The Statist Quo: Breaking Bad And Worse by Bill Buppert

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KenK's picture

Buppert's essay here addresses the question: Is it better to let  states self-destruct over time from their own inherent flaws or help them along with a program of direct action to topple them? The consensus answer seems to be that openly authoritarian states are tougher, but are much more brittle; once they start to wobble, they go down pretty quick, so direct action is likely the better option, albeit a messier one. Liberal democracies on the other hand, are crafted with built -in institutional means which allow the ruling class to implement purely symbolic, non-structural reform/s which act as a safety mechanism which allows the rulers lighten up on the reigns temporarily to release pent up pressures when discontent and alienation rises to “unsafe” levels . Symbolic reforms and minor structural reforms, like chemo-therapy applied to a cancer patient, can drag the state's dying process out for a very, very, long time.