The Real Threat to Democracy? It’s Already Running Governments Around the World

It's a system. A regime. A quietly coded coup that didn't need to storm the Capitol because it already had access to your hospitals, your prisons, your courts, and your border.

While the media fed us Trump drama and celebrity trials, a white supremacist ideology was quietly embedded into the software and contracts of our daily lives. And it's not just MAGA. This isn't about Christian Nationalism or performative politics. Those movements are often the decoys.

Exposing the Dark Enlightenment

The Dark Enlightenment, also known as the neoreactionary movement or NRx, is an anti-democratic ideology championed by Curtis Yarvin (online known as Mencius Moldbug) and philosopher Nick Land. It rejects democracy in favor of hierarchical, authoritarian governance—led by corporate sovereigns or "CEO monarchs."

Yarvin envisions a world of corporate city-states ruled by strongman CEOs and maintained through total surveillance. He frames transparency and the collapse of collective governance not as risks, but as strategic virtues.

The New Right's Philosopher

Curtis Yarvin is not fringe. He has been groomed by Peter Thiel, often called the "house philosopher" of the Thiel network. His ideas have influenced tech figures like Marc Andreessen and JD Vance. In fact, Vance has promoted Yarvin's RAGE plan: Retire All Government Employees. He believes in dismantling the public sector entirely and replacing it with corporate control.

The Rise of Neofascist Logic

This is not just abstract theory. The Dark Enlightenment promotes scientific racism, white supremacist eugenics, and social hierarchies that dehumanize anyone outside its elite club. It advocates total surveillance, including iris scans and RFID tracking, as tools for control. And it outright rejects democracy. As Nick Land says, "Democracy tends to fascism" — his solution is to bypass democracy altogether through elite, unelected rule.

Tech Meets Tyranny

The ideology meshes seamlessly with tech ambitions. Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, Balaji Srinivasan, and others are funding biotech, AI, surveillance, and crypto infrastructure. They promote private cities and charter zones governed by corporate terms of service rather than constitutional law. They treat democracy as "the Cathedral"—slow, outdated, and in their way.

The Real-World Rollout

Peter Thiel, the founder of Palantir, is a central figure in this rollout. Alongside Andreessen, Altman, and major private equity firms like Blackstone, Apollo Global Management, and The Carlyle Group, this network has been acquiring control of vital infrastructure.

They fund surveillance systems used by ICE, promote biometric ID projects like Worldcoin, and embed Palantir into military, hospital, and court systems across more than 50 countries. They're buying up hospitals, housing, insurance firms, and even prisons. It's not just software; it's physical, systemic, and expanding.

Who Is This System Tested On?

Migrants are tracked, detained, and deported through Palantir systems. Incarcerated individuals are processed through algorithmic sentencing regimes. The global poor are enrolled in biometric crypto systems without informed consent. What started as an experiment in control is now the operational core of a privatized global regime.

Why Democrats Aren't Sounding the Alarm

Many Democrats embrace crypto and tech expansion without realizing they are fueling the very tools designed to bypass public law. Surveillance contracts continue quietly. Regulation is hesitant. Meanwhile, the private system expands.

Global Echo and Governance Models Compared

When we speak of the "Gulf States," we refer to the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC): Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. These nations are rapidly developing high-tech governance systems underpinned by state power. They are investing in biometric surveillance, AI monitoring, and futuristic city infrastructure (like Saudi Arabia's NEOM or the UAE's Smart Dubai), often in partnership with Western tech firms. Their governance model merges absolute monarchy with cutting-edge digital tools to manage populations and project global innovation.

This is not just an American story. Variants of digital authoritarianism are appearing around the world, each with its own logic and interface. Here is a simplified comparison of three rising models:

 

 

While China uses its model to maintain centralized party control and justify social cohesion, and Gulf States focus on national development under state sovereignty, Silicon Valley's elite project aims to exit all forms of public accountability. Their version of governance strips away the idea of citizens entirely, treating populations as monetized data flows.

The Architects Behind the Curtain

Marc Andreessen helped create the first web browser and now funds AI, biotech, and digital governance projects. Curtis Yarvin writes long ideological essays suggesting we abandon elections in favor of CEO kings. Balaji Srinivasan envisions crypto-powered "network states" free of public accountability.

They don’t run for office. They don’t give press conferences. But their ideas and money shape legislation, urban planning, law enforcement, and even presidential campaigns. They believe democracy is a bug, surveillance is safety, and the richest should rule.

What Can We Do?

We are not helpless.

The system is sophisticated, but it is not invincible. Knowledge is power. Awareness is disruption. Pressure can work—but only if it is loud, organized, and grounded.

This isn't just about politics. It's about sovereignty—human, local, collective. We must expose this network, resist the normalization of privatized rule, and build systems rooted in care, equity, and truth.

If you're reading this: Speak. Share. Build.

The system is live. But so are we.

-Bernadette Gold

Footnotes & Sources

Curtis Yarvin Profile & Ideology:
The New Yorker: Curtis Yarvin’s Return
Current Affairs: The Strange and Terrifying Ideas of Neoreactionaries

Dark Enlightenment Influence:
Time Magazine: The Dark Enlightenment’s History
Vanity Fair: Thiel’s New Right

JD Vance and RAGE Plan:
Cascade Institute: Dark Enlightenment

Palantir and ICE Surveillance:
Wikipedia: Palantir Technologies

Private Equity and Infrastructure Control:
Blackstone’s Hospital Acquisition: Private Equity Wire
Carlyle Group and ManTech: Virginia Business
Apollo Global Management: Wikipedia Overview

Gulf States and Smart Governance Projects:
NEOM (Saudi Arabia): neom.com
Smart Dubai:smartdubai.ae