Trouble #6 - Adapt and Destroy

Despite the unimaginable capacity for violence and coercion that they wield, states are far more vulnerable than they let on. This is not only true of the so-called “failed states” currently plagued by civil war and internal strife, but also the imperialist centers of global capitalism themselves. Their fatal weakness is built into their design; modern states are incredibly complicated and dynamic political constructions, yet at their core they remain what they have always been – vehicles of social organization aimed at facilitating the exploitation of the many, for the enrichment of the few. Without the active or passive consent of the many, the few are in serious trouble. In order to seek out and manage threats to their legitimacy and authority, states invest a considerable amount of time, energy and resources towards the science of social control. This science, known as COIN or Counterinsurgency doctrine, is nothing less than a perpetual war, waged by states against their domestic