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Those who subscribe to a radical dismissal of the state as being a condition of freedom seem to be facing a conundrum.
If the absence of state structures is a condition of freedom, then mankind has never enjoyed freedom. But then, how is one to account for differences, say, between Communist East Germany and West Germany without referring to less than trivial aspects of freedom?
However, once a notion of freedom is admitted that allows for differential degrees of liberty, it becomes inevitable to explain how state and freedom can coexist.
In fact, it is possible to argue rather compellingly that freedom is particularly pronounced in countries with very sophisticated, powerful state structures that elicit high levels of societal permeation. Who would challenge the contention that state structures in the US are more sophisticated, more powerful, and more ubiquitous in people’s lives than state structures in Mali? Who would deny the higher degree of liberty in the US compared to Mali?
The conundrum appears to suggest the need for careful research into the coexistence of state and freedom.
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