I was born and raised in Somalia, so I witnessed firsthand that life can function with little to no state.

When the state collapsed in 1991, everything related to governance fell apart completely. You could find machine guns everywhere, sometimes for free, and even tanks if you wanted.

The first five years were absolute chaos, especially in the main cities, because society went from 100% state control to almost none.

But by the late ’90s and early 2000s, in the city where I grew up, life actually became better than in many places with functioning states.

There was almost no centralized administration, yet the city had one of the best telecommunications networks, excellent doctors, good schools, and remarkable peace. People could walk around with thousands of dollars without fear of robbery, and the high level of freedom.

I am not saying everything was 100% perfect but the lesson learned is that societies, tribes, and individuals can govern themselves and provide state services through private businesses. But the main weakness was that people didn’t have plan for stopping outside interventions, which eventually destroyed and gave rise the current situation.