They are certainly not free-market.

There's a lot of noise surrounding it (at least from within the US propaganda fire hoses).

Much of what I've observed, so far, is that we're watching an open war among different groups of elites.

The goal is destabilization of the base of targeted groups.

There will be blood, but as usual, that blood will be from the general populace and, therefore, only used to push narrative and propel one group or another to further divide the US voting base.

In summary-

The same old techniques that have been used to gain control for many millennia.