The Assault on the State: How the Global Attack on Modern Government Endangers Our Future

by Stephen E. Hanson

What if the state as we know it didn't exist? Our air would be poisonous, our votes uncounted, and our markets dysfunctional. Yet across the world, in countries as diverse as Hungary, Israel, the UK, and the US, attacks on the modern state and its workforce are intensifying. They are morphing into power grabs by self-aggrandizing politicians who attempt to seize control of the state for themselves and their cronies. What replaces the modern state once it is fatally undermined is not the free market and the flowering of personal liberty. Instead, the death of government agencies organized under the rule of law inevitably leads to the only realistic the rule of men.

In The Assault on the State, political scientists Stephen Hanson and Jeffrey Kopstein offer an impassioned plea to defend modern government against those who seek to destroy it. They dissect the attack on the machinery of government from its origins in post-Soviet Russia to the core powers of Western democracy. The dangers of state erosion imperil every aspect of our lives. Hanson and Kopstein outline a strategy that can reverse this destructive trend before humanity is plunged back into the pathological personalistic politics of premodern times.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Political Science

Audible Audio

Published August 26, 2024

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book alongside Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum's _Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos_. Both books cover similar ground, and both express essentially the same message: libertarians who cheer on the modern attack on bureaucracy are fooling themselves. Because what replaces the administrative state is not free markets and limited government, but unchecked, unaccountable personal rule. Muirhead and Rosenblum focus mainly on the United States, while Hanson and Kopstein show that a similar pattern has played out elsewhere. Indeed, they argue, the model for the assault on the state is not the United States but Putin's Russia. Much of what started there has simply been replicated in the US under Trump, in Hungary under Orban, in Britain under Johnson, etc.

It's not a perfect book. The authors' understanding of libertarianism is limited and makes their case weaker than it could have been. (If you want to talk about a libertarian assault on the state, Hayek is the wrong place to focus. Rothbard and his followers would have been much more appropriate). The book spends longer than necessary talking about Russia and Eastern Europe, perhaps because the authors are both Sovietologists by training. And they don't do enough to take seriously the arguments that intelligent critics of the administrative state have made. They therefore don't address the hard question - how can we maintain the benefits of an independent bureaucracy, while minimizing its real dangers?

Despite these flaws, I still highly recommend this book. It's short, very engagingly written, and on a topic that has only gotten more important since it was published - *before* Trump's second term. Sadly, it might be time for a second edition already...

[Jan Goericke · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must read today! The State is the machinery that sustains democratic institutions. The destruction of the State a'la Putin and Co. may be driven by base greed for power and money, but it intermeshes with the health and survival of democracy. A even partial destruction of the state will have decades of consequences if survivable. The patriarchal state won't be enjoyable for the vast majority of the people. Please read and consider!

[Don Mcrae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye-opening, revelatory, and scary on many levels. While many pundits, scholars and politicians talk about, dictatorships, and autocracies. The authors very adroitly introduce the idea of “Patrimonialism” which explains so much relative to both global affairs and current affairs here in America. Highly recommended.

[Carolina C santos · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the most important books that explain why everything is crumbling down

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave this a solid try (in audiobook format) at the recommendation of Jonathan Rauch, whom I respect, but it's really bad.

The first chapter nut-picks the weakest arguments against the "deep state". Yes, there are some quite silly conspiracy theories in that area, but the fact of the administrative state working against the policy objectives of the first Trump administration is well documented (and was even celebrated in mainstream press at the time!). A more serious book would have engaged with the steel-man version of this argument: That the federal bureaucracy is staffed with people who typically object to Trump's legitimate policy objectives, and many of them actively work to stymie these policies.

There's lots of guilt-by-association in here, including conflating Christian nationalism—and even, implausibly, the Federalist Society—with white nationalism.

The second chapter implied without evidence that criticism of George Soros, an agent of politics with a very real and impactful agenda, is de facto antisemitic. At that point I gave up.

The one redeeming quality of this book, as far as I listened to it, is the useful distinction that it draws between patrimonialism and authoritarianism. But it contains far too much nonsense to be taken seriously on the whole.

[Carolina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very clear exposition on how dismantling the state has become a priority in today's societies run by authoritarian figures like Orban, Putin, Trump and others. Through social media's misinformation campaigns the 'deep state' is feared and seen as contrary to traditional values and therefore becomes a target for any 'paternalistic' leader who wants to consolidate all power in himself, as Trump is doing at present, bypassing the courts and congress and 'ruling' by executive orders. State agencies are however very necessary for any well functioning society, and civil service remains very important to safeguard the rule of law.

[Jenny D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really thought the theories in here and the history of Russian, Ukraine, Israel, Britain were essential to understanding Hanson's thesis. He has a point that this is a pre modern age problem that has followed us into the modern age and that conspiracy theories of the deep state prevent administrative duties from being made and a solid educated qualified public service work force. This distrust lends itself to fear of expertise, which has been written about other places. I think this book sheds light on what's at stake beyond the authoritarian vs. democracy debate.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A slim volume but a really interesting and needed reframing of the preservation of democracy vs the preservation of the administrative state. Both are needed and they reinforce each other. Also, a reframing of what we might refer to as authoritarianism as patrimonialism. I found their argument persuasive.

The only complaint I have is their prescriptions for how to combat this move are not very concrete. I would have liked a bit more discussion in that area but this is a work of political philosophy and so while I would have liked it, I didn’t expect it.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend. This offers a distinct but complimentary understanding of the gutting of federal agencies, targeting of universities, and general discrediting of government functions and agencies by the Trump administration that aligns with the fall of democracy and the rise of autocracy. The authors go into detail on how Patrimonialism has played out in other countries, most significantly, in Russia. This book offers an explanation of our current daily headlines.

[Kirk Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of patrimonialism as described in this book seems like an essential key in understanding what is going on in today's politics (Jonathan Rauch in The Atlantic wrote an article based on this book, if you want a taste). The writing is a bit repetitive, but it's an otherwise engaging read, and the concepts are important.

Physically, the hardcover feels svelte and academic, which made me feel like I was back in the college library stacks, and that life was good.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

devastating and convincing.

[Cory Tendering · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read Timothy Snyder's On Tyranny... then immediately read this

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hanson and Kopstein provide a valuable reframing of the current US and world political climate from the standard democratic-autocratic axis to something more insidious: patrimonialism. The orange one's fascination with and emulation of organized crime and its structures of governance is given a thorough analysis and placed in an international context birthed in the collapse of the Soviet Union and tortured birth of modern Russia.

The argument makes a lot of sense to me, as does the proposed remedy, which is to find a way to advocate for and sell the concept of a highly competent (and powerful) state bureaucracy to the voting public. Unfortunately, this might be a difficult sell to a population that is arguably incapable understanding anything more intellectually challenging than the latest TikTok influencer.

One is tempted to capitulate and decide that this is all the "government" that the unthinking proletariat deserves. The problem is that it will end badly for everyone. Patrimonialism does not scale and is plagued by two fundamental weaknesses: incompetence and corruption.

It's an ironic twist that we find ourselves rooting for the "deep" state, but that's exactly the situation here. Having observed this state at very high levels of operation in my career (and found correspondingly high levels of both complexity and competence in all cases), I have some hope, if not confidence, that it will ultimately triumph over this current generation of opportunistic chaos agents.

[Giulio Porelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must-read today in terms of topic. Whether one likes the arguments laid out in the book or not, it is extremely insightful and with clear and appealing examples.

Not giving 5 stars is more of a personal stance. I like to give 5 stars to books that mark, for me, a before and a after. Alternatively, books that I would definitely want to buy to have in my personal library. I do not think this books makes this cut. I had to buy it for one of my classes, but if I had limited library space and money I would not get it in a physical copy.

I think most of this comes down to the central idea. It is a simple idea, which is good. However, it is not a simple and unexpected idea that forces you to rethink your values and priorities. The authors do a great job at taking it this simple idea and develop it convincingly and this book certainly represents a vital contribution to the field. However, it is not a book I would go back to.

Very good book nonetheless and a great political science read.

[Joe Salata · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to label what the current form of government that the US is taking shape under, it’s Patrimonialism. Assault on the State hit the nail on the head and I fear the moment in the near future where this group of sycophantic amateurs have to face a real test. It might just all come crashing down. A worthwhile read for those looking to stay engaged, not put their head in the sand.

[Jtgwdtt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good analysis.

Well worth the time to read, especially if you believe “you were there when all of this transpired.”