Like the United States, Niger is a national-security state, meaning that its government includes a vast, all-powerful military-intelligence establishment. 

Last month, Niger's national-security branch went to war against the government's executive branch, which was represented by the country's democratically elected president Mohamed Bazoum. 

Not surprisingly, the executive branch proved to be no match for the overwhelming military power of the national-security branch. While so far permitted to live, Bazoum was violently ousted from power. The national-security branch is now in overt control of the government. 

U.S. officials are up in arms over this development, especially since they have been furnishing U.S. taxpayer-funded foreign aid to Bazoum's regime. A group of African countries are threatening military action to restore Bazoum to power, but the New York Times points out a reason why they might be reticent to try: Niger's "battle-tested army has been trained by American and European special forces."

Our American ancestors were fiercely opposed to a national-security state form of governmental structure. As James Madison observed, "A standing military force, with an overgrown Executive will not long be safe companions to liberty." Madison knew that once the government has a vast, permanent military-intelligence establishment, that part of the government, as a practical matter, will be in overall control of the government. That's because the other branches lack the military power to stand up to or oppose the all-powerful military-intelligence establishment, which has the troops, tanks, planes, bombs, mines, warships and other weapons of war at its disposal.