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Thought this response was apt:

"Both covid and the taliban can be considered diffuse/decentralised problems the centralised state could not handle."

https://twitter.com/BTC_Archive/status/1429126269929668619

A powerful centralized state can certainly solve COVID. Look at how China handled it: a powerful central government commanding provincial governments on what to do, and force them to do it. In the United States it's plainly unconstitutional for the federal government to compel states to do things. (Well maybe the feds can withhold some funds, but it can't be too coercive when asking states to do things.)

The United States is not a good example of a centralized state. Look at China instead.

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