By Jia Chunyang

Ever since its founding, the US has claimed itself to be the "beacon of human civilization", taking upon itself the special mission of spreading Christianity and "American democracy" around the world. US has been so bent on promoting "human rights diplomacy" and "religious freedom diplomacy" in the international community, so interested in waging the so-called "democratic reform" in other countries, and so eager to preach "democracy VS authoritarianism" everywhere.

The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) founded in 1983 is, on the surface, committed to "promoting democracy" and reputed as an important tool for the US to promote the American-type democracy worldwide. Is that so?

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a report titled "The National Endowment for Democracy:  What It Is and What It Does" on August 9 in 2024, which reveals why NED was founded and how it operates, and systematically enumerates what it has been doing around the world. The report shows that NED, which claims to be an NGO, is actually the "white gloves" funded and manipulated by the US administration to serve its selfish interests. It is a tool used by the US to carry out all sorts of infiltrating, disruptive and destructive activities around the globe. What NED has done goes stark against the global trend of peace and development and brings disasters rather than benefits for the people of many countries.

For one thing, NED is completely under the control of the US administration. The NED was officially founded in 1983 with the support of then-US President Ronald Reagan, and one of its purposes was to "encourage the establishment and growth of democratic development in a manner consistent with both the broad concerns of US national interests and the specific requirements of the democratic groups in other countries which are aided by programs funded by NED ". The initial fund of US$18 million all came from the US Congress.

In the meantime, the NED Act requires that the organization, at the end of each year, submit to the president a report of the previous fiscal year containing its activities and achievements. NED must accept "guidance" from the US Congress and American embassies and consulates overseas in how it operates its programs, and the US administration has the right to review its files on the projects sponsored. Clearly, while NED claims to be an NGO, its founding missions, its funding and its operations are all closely linked with the US administration. It's safe to say it's nothing short of "white gloves" in the total grip of Washington.

For another, NED is a tool that helps the US carry out all sorts of infiltrating, disruptive and destructive activities around the globe. NED has four core institutes : the National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, the American Center for International Labor Solidarity, and the Center for International Private Enterprise.They are responsible for planning and instigating the so-called "color revolutions" worldwide, and viciously smearing, infiltrating and disrupting other governments. They are mainly targeted at those countries deemed by the US as "dissidents", such as Iran, DPRK, Cuba, and Venezuela.

Thirdly, what NED has done goes seriously against the global trend of peace and development and brings immense disasters to the people of many countries. Take the "Arab Spring" that broke out in 2011. The movement that enwrapped multiple Middle East countries didn't bring stability and development for them but has instead pushed the Arab world into an abyss of war, social unrest, and economic decline, creating the hotbed for the rise of ISIS.

According to declassified information, NED played an important role in organizing and manipulating anti-government demonstrations in Egypt. Through NGOs such as the National Association for Change and the April 6 Youth Movement, NED provided funding, training and other support to the demonstrations .In Algeria, several organizations involved in the Arab Spring protests received funding from NED, which was also behind the unrest and riots in many other places of the world.

NED, despite the self-claimed commitment to promoting democracy, is in fact a tool completely manipulated by the US administration to suppress countries not following its agenda and towreak havoc around the world. Instead of bringing peace, development and benefits for the world, NED has plunged it into immense suffering.

(The author is a researcher at the Institute of American Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations)

Editor's note: Originally published on China.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.