Charles Tilly once called war-making and state-making “the greatest protection rackets in history.” In this episode, we explore how the modern state — and eventually alliances like NATO — evolved from centuries of organized coercion. From medieval kings to modern diplomats, the pattern remains: those who control violence define legitimacy. Governments claim to protect us, but often from dangers they themselves create.
Over time, this logic was refined, institutionalized, and globalized — a mafia with flags, treaties, and moral slogans. Yet beneath the rhetoric of freedom and peace lies the same transaction: safety for obedience, tribute for protection. Maybe the time has come to question the price.
How Charles Tilly reframed war and state formation as organized crime
The double meaning of “protection”: comfort and coercion
How capitalism and warfare coevolved to sustain power
The moral exchange of safety for obedience
Why NATO represents the global version of the protection racket
Legitimacy as the final mask of coercion
What it means to stop paying the dues
#DeepSubject #CharlesTilly #PoliticalPower #NATO #WarAndState #OrganizedCrime #Geopolitics #HistoryOfViolence #SecurityMyth #StatePower
