Comments on: An updated assessment of the ‘hacking the state’ strategy https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/an-updated-assessment-of-the-hacking-the-state-strategy/2011/04/07 Researching, documenting and promoting peer to peer practices Fri, 24 Oct 2014 12:44:55 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.5.15 By: Poor Richard https://blog.p2pfoundation.net/an-updated-assessment-of-the-hacking-the-state-strategy/2011/04/07/comment-page-1#comment-482754 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:52:57 +0000 http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/?p=15087#comment-482754 I wonder if we can’t look at historical cases of gradual transitions from monarchy to democracy to find an example of hacking the deep state. I’m no student of English political history, but my impression is that power ebbed from the monarchy in proportion to the increasing diversity and complexity of industry and commerce. As networks of new relationships and dependencies developed at the growing periphery of the economy, the monarchy was gradually isolated within a dwindling set of legacy roles, relationships and activities.

Perhaps one doesn’t hack the deep state directly or precipitously, but one hacks at the tips of the roots and branches and slowly works inward.

A population or group that is mutually codependent with an authoritarian or parental state might begin to draw down the power of the state in proportion to the agency, capability, and initiative that they assume (diplomatically, of course) for themselves.

Self-reliance or agency has two roots: 1) self provisioning and 2) self protection. The latter should probably avoid assuming either too defensive or confrontational a form, consisting instead of a proactive consolidation of capacity and strength through reciprocal relationships and inter-dependencies.

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