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Recently, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a comprehensive paper detailing the nefarious activities of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

NED is an organisation formed by the United States through an act of Congress to provide for funding of foreign groups and associations in the name of promoting democracy.

In turn, this organisation has carried out nefarious activities all over the world, ranging from sponsoring media and activists to promoting illegal or unconstitutional removal of governments which the US does not like through the so-called colour revolutions such as those that occurred in Ukraine, Iran and North Africa during the “Arab Spring” uprisings.

This is not a new discussion and experts have correctly noted that the NED, clothed in legal authority and deceptive garb of promoting democracy, does openly what the CIA does covertly.

We shall return to this point in detail in our explanation why NED is dangerous and undermines sovereignty of target countries; and, as demonstrated in regions where it has toppled governments, how it is a threat to global peace and security.

In Zimbabwe the NED has actively supported anti-Government forces for at least a quarter of a century, that is, since at least 2000.

Evil deeds

The aforementioned document exposing the activities of NED notes that the organisation acts as the US government’s “white gloves.”

Says the document: “It has long engaged in subverting state power in other countries, meddling in other countries’ internal affairs, inciting division and confrontation, misleading public opinion, and conducting ideological infiltration, all under the pretext of promoting democracy. Its innumerable evil deeds have caused grave harm and drawn strong condemnation from the international community.”

According to the research, in recent years, NED has kept changing tactics and gone even further in acting against the historical trend of peace, development and win-win cooperation.

It has become more notorious for its infiltration, subversion and sabotage attempts against other countries.

The research notes that through the NED, America has violated international law and basic norms of international relations, and jeopardised world peace and stability. Ironically, this is happening at a time the world is moving toward multipolarity, and there needs to be greater democracy in international relations.

Every country has the right to pursue a development path suited to its national realities and the needs of its people.

The document says: “No country is in a position to lecture others on democracy and human rights, still less using democracy and human rights as excuses to infringe upon the sovereignty of other countries, interfere in their internal affairs and incite ideological confrontation.

Following humanity’s common values of peace, development, fairness, justice, democracy and freedom, members of the international community should engage in exchanges and dialogue on the basis of mutual respect and equality, and work together to contribute to the progress of humanity.”

The NED’s deeds are given a veneer of popularity because of American soft power and the misplaced notion that Western or American-style democracy is good or a superior modern of governance.

At conception, NED carried the inheritance, largesse and pedigree of the Cold War in which the CIA was active in sponsoring subversion and coups in the Global South.

NED was established in 1983 with President Ronald Reagan, who came to power two years prior, seeking to promote his “Project Democracy” abroad, and hence proposed a government-funded and privately-run foundation that would openly support “democratic movements abroad.”

The enabling law for the establishment of the NED was the NED Act which reiterated the purposes of organisation and clarified such issues as congressional appropriations, financial audit by the government, and the requirement to report to the Congress and the president.

It has been noted that since its founding, NED has consistently received more money by each passing year, from the original US$18 million a budget vote of US$315 million in 2023. The organisation makes public its accounts and how it spends the money each year.

NED in Zimbabwe

Interestingly, in Zimbabwe, scores of organisations and individuals are sponsored by NED to oppose Government and carry out various activities in the name of democracy promotion, safeguarding and fighting for human rights, election-related and advocating transparency and accountability.

The aforementioned report did not focus on Africa region and Zimbabwe in particular, but this researcher can authoritatively outline a number of recent NED beneficiaries.

The organisations claim to enhance enhancing community voices, promote freedom of expression, access to information, and civic participation in the country among other things.

Implementation, facilitation and coordination

The Implementation of NED project in Zimbabwe, as in other jurisdictions, is complex partly because apart from the public nature of funding, a lot of activities still remain covert to cover the nefarious tracks of the organisation as it seeks to undermine the constitutional authority of the countries that they operate in.

The overall leadership of NED lies with the US State Department — America’s equivalent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – and its various embassies abroad.

In Zimbabwe, the US Embassy’s Public Affairs section is known to fund and coordinate the activities of the NED and its affiliates.

What is also interesting is that some organisations are known to receive the monies, and pass on to others creating a network of similar outfits.

Unsurprisingly, this system has also brought corruption of the highest order, with certain individuals becoming rich and powerful within the NGO community.

Personal fiefdoms have been created while nepotism and regionalism has been widespread.

The last level of NED funding is not specified, but includes generic criteria such as support for “independent and investigative reporting that monitors the information space and promotes citizen participation, government accountability, political tolerance, and debate”.

According to NED specifications, under this project, monthly support will be given to online video programmes “that will break down current events, investigate and provide context to priority issues affecting Zimbabwe’s democratic trajectory. . . promote access to information as well as freedom of expression by producing high profile interviews and panel discussions with politicians and civic leaders.”

The range of activities outlined above mean by that the US is capable of recruiting anyone and everyone who has an idea of a project to destabilise the country in the name of democracy promotion or human rights.

This is a serious national security issue with wide ranging implications that should be investigated and have strong counter measures.

The extent, reach and depth of America’s subversion of sovereign countries in the Global South, or what was called Third World, is expansive and depressing.

The subversion and nefarious activities have been allowed to thrive because of America’s soft power and hegemony which has gone on unchecked and unchallenged in a century.

The US has not just used its soft power but has also splurged on contemporary opposition movements and organisations to subvert African and other Third World countries with a view to establishing hegemony.

There are many things that stakeholders need to consider to ensure that the malignant influence of the US, through NED, can be countered.

It is in the interests of countries that are target of NED nefarious activities to make sure that the organisation and its proxies and collaborators are not allowed to carry out destabilising activities which benefit the US and its destabilising goals as well as a typically small pocket of activists, their leaders and America.

Article provided by The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China