The term deep state was around for decades before Trump, originally referring to clandestine networks in Turkey that connected fascist orgs like the Ergenekon group to like-minded individuals within the police, intelligence community, military and the justice system. It's a given that other nations have conspiracies like this as well (that's what it is, an actual, bonafide conspiracy), such as the NSU complex in Germany. I'm sure US posters here could name white supremacist networks fitting the bill as well.
But the deep state in the original sense isn't just "all those weird three letter agencies doing god knows what", it's a fascist network that has infiltrated various, separated arms of the government to wield coordinated institutional power against groups and individuals it targets.
The first time I heard the term was after 9/11 in reference to Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies, and why Pakistan took such bad-seeming actions so consistently. Because these actions served the interest of the deep state, and the Pakistani people could go fuck themselves.
The term deep state was around for decades before Trump, originally referring to clandestine networks in Turkey that connected fascist orgs like the Ergenekon group to like-minded individuals within the police, intelligence community, military and the justice system. It's a given that other nations have conspiracies like this as well (that's what it is, an actual, bonafide conspiracy), such as the NSU complex in Germany. I'm sure US posters here could name white supremacist networks fitting the bill as well.
But the deep state in the original sense isn't just "all those weird three letter agencies doing god knows what", it's a fascist network that has infiltrated various, separated arms of the government to wield coordinated institutional power against groups and individuals it targets.
The first time I heard the term was after 9/11 in reference to Pakistan's military and intelligence agencies, and why Pakistan took such bad-seeming actions so consistently. Because these actions served the interest of the deep state, and the Pakistani people could go fuck themselves.