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The Tech-Fueled Future of Privatized Sovereignty
We’re watching the rise of a new anti-democratic extremism—networked, crypto-financed, and cloaked in the language of freedom, writes Gil Duran.
Their dystopian visions reflect an ideological project called “The Network State,” which seeks to create private, corporate-controlled cities that operate as “startup nations”—places where democracy, regulations, and taxes won’t apply. Srinivasan’s version wraps these ideas in startup language, offering two routes (cribbed from sociologist Albert O. Hirschman) to exiting democracy and entering a future where capital governs and the public is shut out. Palmer Luckey, founder of the defense firm Anduril, proposed turning Guantanamo Bay into “Liberty City”—a “tropical brain-drain machine that accelerates regime collapse in Havana.” He described it as the “Singapore of the Caribbean.” Armstrong amplified the idea on Twitter.
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