You see, this is where I think libertarians get it so wrong. They are focused on the state as the problem. But the way I see it, the problem is the conditions a

You see, this is where I think libertarians get it so wrong. They are focused on the state as the problem. But the way I see it, the problem is the conditions and antecedent causes that lead to the state becoming authoritarian. Libertarians are so focused on attacking the state but they just aren't effective at preventing state power misuse, because they don't understand the deep causality that leads to these bad outcomes. If you have antecedent causes like: high inflation, rampant crime unchecked by a liberal state, concentrated media ownership, a toxic information landscape, a population that isn't educated, extreme inequality, etc -- you will get authoritarianism, guaranteed, and there is no amount of small-government ideology that will be able to overcome the population's desire for a strongman personality. History teaches us that you must use state capacity to attack the antecedent causes, paradoxically it is the only way to prevent an authoritarian state.