Rustic American protected by upstanding state bureaucrat (4)
I believe the answer is:
rube
'rustic' is the definition.
(I know that rube is a type of rustic)
'protected by upstanding state bureaucrat' is the wordplay.
'upstanding' shows that the letters should be reversed in order.
'protected by' indicates a hidden word.
'ebur' is hidden within 'state bureaucrat'.
'ebur' backwards is 'RUBE'.
'american' acts as a link.
This may not be right. It may be part of another bit of the clue.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for rube that I've seen before include "Hick" , "American country bumpkin?" .)