Mike Benz

all playing a role in U.S. statecraft, all having international businesses that rely on foreign markets. And so they're highly dependent on the State Department clearing the way for them, negotiating deals for them, acquiring territory, creating export markets, maintaining laws in foreign countries that maximize profitability, securing mining rights, securing trade routes.

all playing a role in U.S. statecraft, all having international businesses that rely on foreign markets. And so they're highly dependent on the State Department clearing the way for them, negotiating deals for them, acquiring territory, creating export markets, maintaining laws in foreign countries that maximize profitability, securing mining rights, securing trade routes.

all playing a role in U.S. statecraft, all having international businesses that rely on foreign markets. And so they're highly dependent on the State Department clearing the way for them, negotiating deals for them, acquiring territory, creating export markets, maintaining laws in foreign countries that maximize profitability, securing mining rights, securing trade routes.

So there's this complex interplay. This is why I always call... So the story is really about, I don't really think of it as a government being different than an NGO, as being different than this corporate financial overclass.

So there's this complex interplay. This is why I always call... So the story is really about, I don't really think of it as a government being different than an NGO, as being different than this corporate financial overclass.

So there's this complex interplay. This is why I always call... So the story is really about, I don't really think of it as a government being different than an NGO, as being different than this corporate financial overclass.

When I use the term the blob, which is not my term, that was a term from Obama's deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, to describe a force within Washington that was bigger than the White House that The Obama White House felt like it couldn't get its foreign policy done because this foreign policy establishment, this blob structure seemed to be more powerful than that.

When I use the term the blob, which is not my term, that was a term from Obama's deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, to describe a force within Washington that was bigger than the White House that The Obama White House felt like it couldn't get its foreign policy done because this foreign policy establishment, this blob structure seemed to be more powerful than that.

When I use the term the blob, which is not my term, that was a term from Obama's deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, to describe a force within Washington that was bigger than the White House that The Obama White House felt like it couldn't get its foreign policy done because this foreign policy establishment, this blob structure seemed to be more powerful than that.

But I think of the blob as having three levels to it. You have the guts of it inside the government, which is the State Department, the Defense Department, the intelligence community, and USAID. You can think of it, Hillary Clinton would call this the 3D model, diplomacy, defense, and development. And then the IC plays, the CIA, for example, plays a supporting role in those functions.

But I think of the blob as having three levels to it. You have the guts of it inside the government, which is the State Department, the Defense Department, the intelligence community, and USAID. You can think of it, Hillary Clinton would call this the 3D model, diplomacy, defense, and development. And then the IC plays, the CIA, for example, plays a supporting role in those functions.

But I think of the blob as having three levels to it. You have the guts of it inside the government, which is the State Department, the Defense Department, the intelligence community, and USAID. You can think of it, Hillary Clinton would call this the 3D model, diplomacy, defense, and development. And then the IC plays, the CIA, for example, plays a supporting role in those functions.

And these are all merged together as one cohesive way of advancing US foreign policy is what we call it. But it's really advancing the interests of, generally speaking, insiders or national champions like our large multinational corporations. But bring this back. So you have this government structure in the center of it. And then below that, you have the NGOs who are funded by the U.S.

And these are all merged together as one cohesive way of advancing US foreign policy is what we call it. But it's really advancing the interests of, generally speaking, insiders or national champions like our large multinational corporations. But bring this back. So you have this government structure in the center of it. And then below that, you have the NGOs who are funded by the U.S.

And these are all merged together as one cohesive way of advancing US foreign policy is what we call it. But it's really advancing the interests of, generally speaking, insiders or national champions like our large multinational corporations. But bring this back. So you have this government structure in the center of it. And then below that, you have the NGOs who are funded by the U.S.

government and who work alongside the U.S. government and have a longer reach than the U.S. government. The State Department can't just walk into certain conflict zones and talk to the indigenous community and get honest answers or tell them what to do without being on the record saying something they might not want attributed to them. The NGOs can go in and do that.

government and who work alongside the U.S. government and have a longer reach than the U.S. government. The State Department can't just walk into certain conflict zones and talk to the indigenous community and get honest answers or tell them what to do without being on the record saying something they might not want attributed to them. The NGOs can go in and do that.

government and who work alongside the U.S. government and have a longer reach than the U.S. government. The State Department can't just walk into certain conflict zones and talk to the indigenous community and get honest answers or tell them what to do without being on the record saying something they might not want attributed to them. The NGOs can go in and do that.

The NGOs can serve as the back channels for diplomacy. The NGOs can provide a plausible way of providing financial assistance or money or bribes to various groups to run shipments and arms and to create networks of assets that then a assistant secretary of state can then liaise with.

The NGOs can serve as the back channels for diplomacy. The NGOs can provide a plausible way of providing financial assistance or money or bribes to various groups to run shipments and arms and to create networks of assets that then a assistant secretary of state can then liaise with.