Chris Hedges
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who argues the deep state IS the government itself — the security and surveillance apparatus, the war machine — which empowers corporate interests and militarism.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Christopher Lynn Hedges |
| Role | Journalist / Author / Presbyterian Minister / Academic |
| Platform | Substack (The Chris Hedges Report), ScheerPost, speaking tours |
| Notable Works | Empire of Illusion (2009), Death of the Liberal Class (2010), America: The Farewell Tour (2018), The World As It Is (2020) |
Their Deep State Definition
Chris Hedges offers a distinctly left-wing critique of the deep state. Unlike those who see the deep state as a hidden entity within government, Hedges argues that the deep state IS the government itself — specifically "the security and surveillance apparatus, the war machine" that empowers "corporate bloodsuckers and war-thirsty generals."
His framework is structural and systemic rather than conspiratorial:
- The deep state is not a secret cabal but the open, visible machinery of corporate capitalism merged with the national security state
- Both political parties serve the same deep state interests — corporate profit and military expansion
- The liberal class (media, universities, unions, Democratic Party, liberal churches) has been co-opted and can no longer serve as a check on corporate and military power
- Electoral politics is theater; real power lies in the corporate-military establishment that persists regardless of who holds office
- The surveillance state exists to protect corporate power, not national security
Hedges draws on his experience as a foreign correspondent covering wars and revolutions to argue that the United States exhibits the same symptoms of late-stage empire he witnessed in the collapse of Yugoslavia and other states.
Key Quotes
"The deep state is the security and surveillance apparatus, the war machine, that empowers corporate bloodsuckers and war-thirsty generals."
"We now live in a nation where doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the press destroys information, religion destroys morals, and our banks destroy the economy."
"The deep state is not hidden. It operates in plain sight. It is the merger of corporate and state power — which is the textbook definition of fascism."
"There is no way to vote against the interests of Goldman Sachs. There is no way to vote against the interests of the military-industrial complex."
Key Arguments & Evidence They Cite
- The merger of corporate and state power constitutes inverted totalitarianism (drawing on Sheldon Wolin's concept)
- Permanent war serves corporate profit, not national security — documented through decades of U.S. military interventions
- The liberal class has been systematically destroyed, removing the traditional check on unchecked power
- Mass surveillance (NSA programs) exists to monitor and control domestic dissent, not foreign threats
- Corporate media serves as propaganda for the war machine and corporate interests
- The judiciary has been captured by corporate interests through decades of right-wing legal strategy
- The prison-industrial complex represents the deep state's domestic enforcement arm
- Austerity economics is a deliberate policy to transfer wealth upward
- Environmental destruction is an inevitable product of deep state corporate priorities
- The two-party system is a mechanism for managing public consent while serving identical corporate interests
Where They've Said It
- The Chris Hedges Report on Substack — weekly columns analyzing corporate-military state power
- ScheerPost — regular columns with Robert Scheer (until Scheer's death in 2024)
- Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (2009)
- Death of the Liberal Class (2010) — documenting the co-optation of liberal institutions
- America: The Farewell Tour (2018) — on the collapse of American society
- On Contact — RT America show (2016-2022, until RT was shut down)
- Speaking tours at universities, churches, and activist events
- Interviews on The Jimmy Dore Show, Breaking Points, and other independent media
- Truthdig columns (2008-2020)
Related Perspectives
- Aaron_Good — shares structural analysis of American empire
- Dennis_Kucinich — rare fellow left-wing voice on deep state critique
- John_Whitehead — shares "corporatized, militarized" framing
- Jimmy_Dore — fellow left-wing critic of the deep state
- Edward_Snowden — surveillance state evidence supports Hedges's thesis
- Peter_Dale_Scott — academic deep state analysis Hedges draws upon
Other Coverage Worth Reading
- Mark Levin: Conservative radio host and constitutional lawyer who describes the deep state as "the entrenched column within the federal...
- Alex Jones: Radio host and Infowars founder who defines the deep state as a cabal of shadowy liberal elites working...
- The Neoconservative Movement and PNAC: The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was a neoconservative think tank founded in **1997 by William...
- The U.S. Intelligence Community as Autonomous Power Center: The United States Intelligence Community (IC) comprises 18 agencies and organizations that operate with extraordinary secrecy, vast budgets...
Sources
- Hedges, Chris. Empire of Illusion. Nation Books, 2009.
- Hedges, Chris. Death of the Liberal Class. Nation Books, 2010.
- Hedges, Chris. America: The Farewell Tour. Simon & Schuster, 2018.
- The Chris Hedges Report, Substack, various columns, 2022-present.
- ScheerPost columns, various dates.
- Wolin, Sheldon. Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism. Princeton University Press, 2008.
This information was compiled by Claude AI research.