"It is against our law to do that"
We support the people. Our goal is not to interfere in the selection
by the Kyrgyz people of their candidates, but to give them the tools
through some of our programs to understand the issues and to
strengthen the integrity of the election process itself. But we do not
support political candidates and we do not support political parties in
Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, or in any country. It is against our law to do that.
However, in addition to our support of the inking, we are providing
$320,00 to train local election commission members in preparation
for the elections, $100,000 to train local observers for the elections,
and also $300,000 to distribute through local NGOs and independent
media outlets for voter education. All of which is a part of a process
of strengthening the integrity of these elections, not to interfere in the
actual selection of candidates.
Joined: Mar 06, 2005 Posts: 86 Location: Cyberspace
Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 9:58 pm Post subject:
chargrove wrote:
Holy sh*t. Is that real?
Man, I hope that's fake.
I don't need any more crap to worry about right now,
I've got enough as it is.
Please let that be fake. Please let that be fake.
National Endowment for Democracy:
Paying to Make Enemies of America
by Rep. Ron Paul
October 11, 2003
(Ron Paul is a Republican Congressman from Texas.
He was the 1988 Libertarian Party candidate for President.)
The misnamed National Endowment for Democracy [NED)
is nothing more than a costly program that takes US taxpayer
funds to promote favored politicians and political parties abroad.
What the NED does in foreign countries, through its recipient
organizations the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the
International Republican Institute (IRI), would be rightly illegal
in the United States. The NED injects "soft money" into the
domestic elections of foreign countries in favor of one party
or the other. Imagine what a couple of hundred thousand dollars
will do to assist a politician or political party in a relatively poor
country abroad. It is particularly Orwellian to call US manipulation
of foreign elections "promoting democracy." How would Americans
feel if the Chinese arrived with millions of dollars to support certain
candidates deemed friendly to China? Would this be viewed as a
democratic development?
In an excellent study of the folly of the National Endowment for
Democracy, Barbara Conry notes that:
"NED, which also has a history of corruption and financial
mismanagement, is superfluous at best and often destructive.
Through the endowment, the American taxpayer has paid for
special-interest groups to harass the duly elected governments
of friendly countries, interfere in foreign elections, and foster
the corruption of democratic movements...
"...the controversy surrounding NED questions the wisdom of
giving a quasi-private organization the fiat to pursue what is
effectively an independent foreign policy under the guise of
'promoting democracy.' Proponents of NED maintain that a
private organization is necessary to overcome the restraints
that limit the activities of a government agency, yet they insist
that the American taxpayer provide full funding for this initiative.
NED's detractors point to the inherent contradiction of a publicly
funded organization that is charged with executing foreign policy
(a power expressly given to the federal government in the
Constitution) yet exempt from nearly all political and administrative
controls...
"...In the final analysis, the endowment embodies the most negative
aspects of both private aid and official foreign aid – the pitfalls of
decentralized 'loose cannon' foreign policy efforts combined with the
impression that the United States is trying to 'run the show' around
the world."
The National Endowment for Democracy is dependent on the US
taxpayer for funding, but because NED is not a government agency,
it is not subject to Congressional oversight. It is indeed a heavily
subsidized foreign policy loose cannon.
NED News Watch
Joined: Mar 06, 2005 Posts: 86 Location: Cyberspace
Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2005 10:21 pm Post subject:
Trojan Horse
"The National Endowment for Democracy was set up in
the early 1980s under President Reagan in the wake of
all the negative revelations about the CIA in the second
half of the 1970s. The idea was that the NED would do
somewhat overtly what the CIA had been doing covertly
for decades, and thus, hopefully, eliminate the stigma
associated with CIA covert activities."
-- William Blum, American historian
Just printed off "the whole thing," chargrove; I will read it all later. I can tell you NOW that it won't surprise me: empires have always had their fingers in regional politics/social issues; they do it to make sure they keep, or GET, their influence to be the predominant operating point of said region. It is the less-bloody, more-covert aspect of the (Resource) Wars we fight to retain imperial "superiority" over the rest of the world.
When I read about the uprising, I wondered about what our role in it was; this info will tell me the sordid details, I'm sure. Thank you for alerting us.
U.S. to Central Asian leaders: Get with the program, or get on a plane
When the Kyrgyz parliament took a critical look at
U.S. military operations in Iraq, and some wondered
aloud whether the U.S. base in their country might
have negative consequences for them, Mr. Kadyrbekov
was quick to warn that Kyrgyzstan ought not to risk
alienating its chief benefactor:
"Kyrgyzstan's position on the Iraq issue may influence
Washington's policies, and we might be deprived of
financial aid which we cannot do without."
That's a good dog!
Unlike Islam Karimov, the Supreme Leader of Uzbekistan,
who has been gung-ho on the U.S. war effort in Iraq,
President Akayev did not take direction well, or, at least,
not well enough. Akayev was too adept at playing off the
U.S. against Russia and China, and, as one analyst put it
in a 2002 paper:
"It may not be the case that Kyrgyzstan needs the United
States as much as the United States needs Kyrgyzstan.
Kyrgyzstan has credible defense partner alternatives, and
if the United States wants Kyrgyz support for its activities
in the region, there may be limits to the pressure it can
apply for political change."
Except, of course, when it comes to regime change.
But why would the U.S. move to topple the "president"
of this impoverished backwater, a country with no oil, no
abundance of other natural resources (except lots of water),
and one that certainly represents no threat to the mighty
U.S.? Part of the answer may lie in Kyrgyzstan's strategic
position and the future of the U.S. air base, as detailed in
this interesting news story from February:
"Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Askar Aitmatov said yesterday
that American AWACS reconnaissance planes will not be
deployed at the Ganci air base outside the Kyrgyz capital,
Bishkek. Aitmatov made the statement after a trip to Moscow.
Some observers say the Kyrgyz government's decision was
made to please Russia, with the aim of gaining the Kremlin's
support ahead of February 27 parliamentary elections and
the presidential election in October." Source: Antiwar.com (March 25, 2005)
This revolution is
NOT being televised
If you want to know why international funding and training
made the Rose (Rep. of Georgia) and Orange (Ukraine)
Revolutions successful, you need to know only one thing
- in today's world, a successful revolution must be televised.
Unfortunately for the people of Kyrgyzstan, the television
cameras from the west are missing. Everything else is in place
- a long-ruling, authoritarian, corrupt leader, rigged elections,
a restless population and demonstrations in the street.
If the world was paying attention, we might be able to get
Kyrgyzstan into the democratic column. Alas...
Source:
Daily KOS, 16 March 2005
^The story is getting attention though. It was on the front page of the Chicago Tribune. It would not be that bad if the regime did fall though. It is a holdover from the Soviet era. Even if the CIA is involved does not mean the country will become a US lapdog. It seems like it did not work for Ukraine. We will just have to wait and see.
I'm sure this new effort to bring democracy to these countries comes equipped with voter fraud. That is give the people a false vision of democracy by telling them they have a right to vote and offer them competing candidates but behind the scenes assure a candidate loyal to US interests is always the winner.
No wonder the Chinese and Russians are eager to lure the US into a war with Iran or to see the oil currency switch away from the dollar. By such actions in these former Soviet Republics, the is US literally picking a fight with Russia and China. This is not a good sign at all.
A document attempting to imitate a report of the Embassy of
the United States of America in Bishkek is being disseminated
via the internet and circulated by government supporters at
demonstrations, bazaars, bus stations and in mail boxes.
Made to appear on U.S. Embassy letterhead and dated
December 30, 2004, the document slanderously misrepresents
U.S. policy toward Kyrgyzstan and its election process.
It forges the signature of Ambassador Young.
This report is a crude fabrication by an individual or individuals
who have no association with the United States Government.
The document in no way represents the views of the U.S. Embassy
in Bishkek. Our support for democratic development here has been
clearly documented in public, and is designed to support the efforts
of the people and government of Kyrgyzstan to strengthen democratic
institutions in this country. The creation and distribution of this fraudulent
document is a disservice to the citizens of Kyrgyzstan and threatens to
damage the good relations between the United States and the Kyrgyz
Republic. We urge the Kyrgyz authorities to denounce this forgery and
take effective steps to disassociate the government from any efforts to
distribute it.
In an excellent study of the folly of the National Endowment for
Democracy, Barbara Conry notes that:
"NED, which also has a history of corruption and financial
mismanagement, is superfluous at best and often destructive.
Through the endowment, the American taxpayer has paid for
special-interest groups to harass the duly elected governments
of friendly countries, interfere in foreign elections, and foster
the corruption of democratic movements...
I doubt the American taxpayer pays for the activities of the NED. American taxes are very low compared to elsewhere in the world because of the US government's relying on the petro-dollar subsidy. In other words, the US is getting the victims of the NED to pay for their own abuse. Like the victim of an execution being made to pay for the bullet used to kill him. Just keep selling those treasuries.
A document attempting to imitate a report of the Embassy of
the United States of America in Bishkek is being disseminated
via the internet and circulated by government supporters at
demonstrations, bazaars, bus stations and in mail boxes.
Made to appear on U.S. Embassy letterhead and dated
December 30, 2004, the document slanderously misrepresents
U.S. policy toward Kyrgyzstan and its election process.
It forges the signature of Ambassador Young.
This report is a crude fabrication by an individual or individuals
who have no association with the United States Government.
The document in no way represents the views of the U.S. Embassy
in Bishkek. Our support for democratic development here has been
clearly documented in public, and is designed to support the efforts
of the people and government of Kyrgyzstan to strengthen democratic
institutions in this country. The creation and distribution of this fraudulent
document is a disservice to the citizens of Kyrgyzstan and threatens to
damage the good relations between the United States and the Kyrgyz
Republic. We urge the Kyrgyz authorities to denounce this forgery and
take effective steps to disassociate the government from any efforts to
distribute it.
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