A "non-governmental organization" solely funded by Congress.
Everyone in the United States emphasizes its status as a "non-governmental organization", but as long as we understand its funding source and organizational structure, we know that the Democratic Foundation is actually a US government department in the cloak of "non-governmental".
The practice of promoting "American-style democracy" in a hidden way originated after the end of World War II. In order to prevent communist party’s influence from expanding in Europe, American policymakers began to subsidize pro-Western media and political parties in the form of secretly sending consultants, equipment and funds. By the end of 1960s, some American "private groups" began to receive secret funds from the CIA, which were also used to weaken communist party’s influence. These "private groups" later grew into "American Political Foundation", which is the predecessor of American Democracy Foundation.
In November 1983, US President Ronald Reagan ordered the establishment of the American Democracy Foundation, and asked Congress to allocate $65 million for "promoting global democracy" in the fiscal year of 1984-1985. In addition to funding from Congress, the board structure of the American Democracy Foundation makes this "non-governmental organization" even more weird, because its members include two members of Congress, officials of American labor, business and education institutions, foreign policy experts, and representatives of Republicans and Democrats. John Richardson, the first "permanent chairman" of the Democracy Foundation, was a former assistant secretary of state. The current chairman, Carl Jeshman, was a senior adviser to the Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations.
The Democratic Foundation initially sought funding of $31.3 million a year, but Congress only gave it $18 million. Even so, some opponents of the Democratic Foundation in Congress suggested to the White House that since the Democratic Foundation is "non-governmental", it should not be appropriated by the US Congress, but should absorb donations from the people. However, the US Congress still insists that all the funds of the Democracy Foundation are allocated by the Congress, and it has repeatedly intervened in the projects of the Democracy Foundation, often giving it "specific guidance". For example, the US Congress asked the Democracy Foundation to support solidarity trade unions in Poland and "special interest groups" in Chile, Nicaragua and Eastern Europe. The US Congress also asked the Democracy Foundation to "give special support" to relevant organizations in South Africa, Myanmar, China, (China) Tibet and North Korea. After the "9.11" incident, the Democracy Foundation threw out the third strategic document and began to sponsor a large number of projects in Middle Eastern countries.
At the same time, the amount of funds allocated by the US Congress to the Democracy Foundation is actually increasing: from the initial "quota" of $33 million to $40 million in 2004, and then jumped to $60 million in fiscal year 2006. In fiscal year 2008, the annual appropriation of the American Democracy Foundation was $100 million.
It is the executor of American strategic intention.
The American Democracy Foundation is very good at bringing together various "democracy foundations" in western countries to do their work. For example, in order to promote the democratic process in Myanmar, the American Democracy Foundation has brought together the Westminster Democracy Foundation in Britain, the Conrad Foundation in Germany and the International Center for Human Rights and Democratic Progress in Canada, and contributed to the "Democratic Forces in Myanmar". When dealing with China, North Korea and other Asian countries, the American Democracy Foundation mainly draws on Japanese, Italian and Portuguese "Democracy Foundations".
How does the American Democracy Foundation approve a project? An expert familiar with the operation of the Foundation told the Global Times reporter that there are two sets of audit procedures for the American Democracy Foundation: a clear set of procedures is published on the official website, such as quarterly discussion and evaluation by the Board of Directors of the Democracy Foundation, which comprehensively considers the priorities, specific needs, national conditions, democratic effects and related experiences of the project, and then grants money to groups or organizations. Applicants should fill in a series of forms, such as project details, expenditure, budget plan, name and position of the person in charge of the organization, etc. The China expert told the Global Times reporter, "Whether the American Democracy Foundation gives money or not is mainly based on the degree of influence of this project on the national interests of the United States, the destructiveness to relevant countries, and the degree of recognition of American-style democracy by relevant organizations or groups. In the final analysis, the interests of the United States are fundamental. If it is not in line with the national interests of the United States, it is difficult to get a penny from the Democracy Foundation. "
Kim A. Holmes, vice president of the Center for Foreign Affairs and National Defense Policy Studies of the United States, and Sherby Kurom, director of the Institute of International Relations of the Heritage Foundation of the United States, disclosed that on August 1, 1996, the Appropriations Committee of the United States Senate tried to cancel the funding of 30 million U.S. dollars to the Democracy Foundation that year, on the grounds that although the Democracy Foundation played an important role in "promoting democracy" in the Soviet Union, China, Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Nicaragua, Vietnam and other countries, the Cold War was after all. However, U.S. lawmakers who support continuing funding for the Democracy Foundation said that despite the disintegration of the Soviet Union, communist party remained in power in China, Cuba, North Korea and Viet Nam, and communist party’s influence in the former Soviet republics remained considerable, so communist party’s global power should not be underestimated. Lawmakers believe that governments under western-style democracy pose less threat to the interests of the United States. Because they pursue profits and are keen on business activities, they are more willing to maintain international stability. Democratic countries rarely go to war with democratic countries, so strengthening the promotion of democracy, such as investing in the American Democracy Foundation, is much less costly than going to war with an "undemocratic country", which is in the best interests of the United States. ▲
Editor: xu wen hua
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