The deep state is sometimes referred to as a conspiracy theory; in reality, it is the hidden government that piggybacks with authority on the legitimately elected government. 

The term “deep state” was originally coined in Turkey in the 1990s to refer to high-level elements within the intelligence services, military, security, judiciary and organized crime.  At that time, one crucial role it played in Turkey was its military collusion with drug traffickers and hit men to wage war against Kurdish insurgents.

The deep state is very customary in developing countries like Israel, Pakistan and Egypt, etc.  In many cases, Israel uses Mossad and other entities for intelligence collection, covert operations and counterterrorism.  Other countries also have their own systemic apparatus of operations.

For example, in the United States, the deep state has several attributes.  It is called the shadow government, the swamp, the hidden government and a conspiracy theory.   It is composed of the intelligence agencies, high-level military and notable officials who hold powerful and permanent bureaucratic positions in the government.  They all play a huge role in the national and foreign policies of the country.  They exert tremendous influence not only on the policy but on the president himself.    

The deep state is known to have defied the rule of law.  It has been rumored that the U.S. shadowy government is responsible for some political assassinations.  For example, the death of President John F. Kennedy is blamed on a conspiracy where the deep state is alleged to have pulled the trigger that changed the course of history in 1963.  Some unconfirmed reports also suggest that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the victim of the deep state and that James Earl Ray had nothing to do with his death.

In addition, the shadow government operates in the dark and does the dirty work of the U.S. government, which is democratically compelled to be transparent. Also, it is active in foreign affairs where it is said to have toppled or assassinated foreign leaders that are hostile to the United States.

In fact, one must understand that the Swamp, as the deep state is often referred to, is made up of elements across party line.  The deep state is a political culture that is very well structured in the American sphere of politics.  It is, so to speak, the fourth branch of the U.S. government. 

Regrettably, despite its unpopular and illicit activity at home and abroad, the deep state still remains a systemic wing of the government, one that appears to be a perennial political entity. 

From the time President Donald Trump started campaigning up to this day, the term deep state has been echoed repeatedly as something more threatening.  He often complains that the deep state consists of secretive Illuminati of bureaucrats that vow to thwart his agenda.  Ah!  Someone can only try to circumvent the swamp perimeter but without being able to impact its goal or its mission, however controversial it may be.

 So a U.S. president who runs on the platform of draining the swamp risks getting drowned in it.  For the swamp is muddy, deep and too polemical to undo its structure or to do away with it entirely.  It’s a formidable task, one that is easier said than done.

Trump points finger at the deep state for a lot of things. Perhaps one of the most recent acts being blamed on the deep state was the Russian collusion in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.  Also, Trump’s current political downfall is viewed as an act orchestrated by the deep state. It has become more like a war between Trump and the deep state where the latter is the likely winner.

The deep state is not a phantom, an imaginary character or a conspiracy theory.  It is rather a powerful dark force, an abstract fourth branch of the U.S. government that influences policy and the entire government establishment.