This working paper proposes a layered structural model of governance distinguishing between the visible institutional order of the modern state and a deeper network logic rooted in transnational commercial, financial, religious, and kinship systems. Drawing on Braudel’s longue durée, Schmitt’s theory of exception, and world-systems analysis, the paper introduces the concept of the “Mediterranean deep kernel” as a recurring structural pattern rather than a continuous institution. The study argues that modern democracy and rule-of-law governance function as a visible interface, while zones of exception and network-based power persist alongside territorial sovereignty. Episodes such as the Epstein affair are examined as moments of structural visibility in which ordinarily opaque network relations become publicly legible. The paper further explores how artificial intelligence and digital infrastructures may constitute emerging domains of quasi-sovereign authority, intensifying tensions between transparency and encrypted forms of power. Rather than advancing a conspiratorial thesis, the model provides an analytical framework for understanding layered sovereignty, systemic transitions, and the future architecture of governance in the digital age.
Yuji Marutani (Thu,) studied this question.