In a neopatrimonial order, corruption is not an accident. It is a lubricant. It oils alliances, rewards loyalty, and keeps the machinery of power humming. Favors are currency. Access is influence. The leader distributes benefits and in return receives allegiance. But what we are witnessing in the United States feels like something darker. This is no longer about maintaining coalitions. It resembles kleptocracy, where power is not used to sustain the system but to extract from it. Corruption stops being a tactic and becomes the mission. Holding office shifts from public stewardship to private enrichment. In such systems, the tools of governance quietly change character. Regulation becomes selective. Law enforcement becomes discretionary. Procurement becomes transactional. Diplomacy becomes an investment portfolio. The state morphs into a revenue stream, feeding family members, loyalists, and financiers. Public purpose erodes. Extraction prevails. The United States has known...
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