The controversial United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which had sought to instigate a ‘colour revolution’ in India through its affiliates, recently faced a crackdown by the Trump administration.
This so-called ‘independent organisation’ has now been fully absorbed by the US State Department. Donald Trump had criticized USAID, calling it operated by ‘radical lunatics,’ while Elon Musk referred to it as a ‘criminal organisation.’
Although USAID’s website has been removed, a 96-page ‘Disinformation Primer’ it published in February 2021 continues to circulate on the internet.
The controversial United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which had sought to instigate a ‘colour revolution’ in India through its affiliates, recently faced a crackdown by the Trump administration.
This so-called ‘independent organisation’ has now been fully absorbed by the US State Department. Donald Trump had criticized USAID, calling it operated by ‘radical lunatics,’ while Elon Musk referred to it as a ‘criminal organisation.’
Although USAID’s website has been removed, a 96-page ‘Disinformation Primer’ it published in February 2021 continues to circulate on the internet.
The document was created with the ‘explicit goal’ of assisting its staff and partners in understanding disinformation, its dissemination methods, and strategies to counter it.
In truth, it was a propaganda "manual" designed to assist the USAID team in exerting influence over foreign nations, co-opting the media and civil society, and driving 'regime change' in the host country.
This was cleverly presented as an initiative to fight 'information disorder.'
Page 2 of the report stated, “USAID staff and partners around the world need a working knowledge of the scope and form of disinformation since it impacts many levels of programming and interventions across all development sectors.“
USAID did not provide details on its various levels of ‘interventions,’ but its past actions in other countries paint a troubling picture.
OpIndia has previously reported extensively on the US agency’s efforts to destabilize governments in several countries, including India, through its ‘partners’ and affiliates.
USAID's Reference to Rana Ayyub
The Disinformation Primer, which purports to train USAID staff and partners in combating ‘information disorder,’ ironically uses the example of Rana Ayyub, a known purveyor of fake news, to illustrate the dangers of ‘disinformation.’
According to page 16 of the report –
In India, journalist Rana Ayyub faced a smear campaign fueled by fabricated images and tweets suggesting she was a porn actress. These coordinated attacks began after Ayyub advocated for justice for an 8-year-old girl who was repeatedly raped and eventually murdered. A manipulated video of Ayyub was circulated over 40,000 times, including by a fan page of the ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The harassment led to Ayyub being hospitalized for heart palpitations and anxiety.
It’s worth noting that USAID intentionally referred to the ‘ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’ when discussing a manipulated video involving the scam-accused ‘journalist,’ even though the Indian political party was not directly responsible for spreading the video.
A random, self-proclaimed fan page was ‘cited’ in an attempt to tarnish the reputation of the country’s democratically elected ruling party.
USAID made several references to India in its ‘Disinformation Primer,’ including mentioning a unique election campaign strategy used by the BJP to engage with linguistic voters. It also relied on the Qatar-funded Islamist propaganda outlet, Al Jazeera, to defame India.
USAID Unveils Its Strategy
On page 18 of the report, the US agency unintentionally revealed its strategy.
It stated,”In countries where both the United States and Russia have been working to develop influence, the Kremlin tends to put forth narratives that are easy to understand, play to the emotions, and disingenuously offer a clear good guy–bad guy paradigm. Comparatively, the United States has often struggled to offer effective fact-based alternatives to such narratives. This is particularly relevant in countries where USAID works to promote democratic governance.“
USAID acknowledged its interference in the operations of foreign governments under the guise of promoting democracy, while also competing with Russia to extend US influence through the Deep State.
On page 45 of its ‘Disinformation Primer,’ it advised its media network to practice ‘strategic silence.’ Additionally, one of the key strategies emphasized in the report was the use of ‘fact-checking’ as a tool to shape and influence public opinion.
The US State Department is set to launch the initiative on September 1st of this year across five cities in India—Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi.
In July of the previous year, OpIndia revealed that the Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) of the US State Department allocated $200,000 (~₹1.67 crores) to recruit fact-checkers in India for its ‘Empowering Media Savvy Youth’ program.
This initiative, aimed at hiring ‘fact-checkers’ to push its narrative in India, has been cleverly labeled a ‘targeted digital literacy and resilience program.’
“In India, where social media usage is widespread among the youth population, recent research by Indian, European, and American think tanks has highlighted how manipulative content is amplifying societal polarization and erodes institutional trust. This consequently strains U.S.-India bilateral relations, threatening collaborative efforts and diplomatic ties,” the US State Department made its intentions unmistakably clear.
Interestingly, the US State Department has now assumed control of USAID.
USAID Supports Atlantic Council, Which Criticized Modi Government
In its 96-page ‘Disinformation Primer,’ USAID referenced the ‘Atlantic Council’ and its connections over 30 times.
In July 2022, Mike Benz, Executive Director of the Foundation for Freedom Online, published an in-depth article revealing how USAID and other government agencies funded censorship programs in Brazil through the Atlantic Council.
The article suggested that U.S. taxpayer funds, via agencies like USAID, the State Department, and the National Endowment for Democracy, were used to support efforts to monitor and suppress private communications on encrypted platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.
These initiatives aimed to combat “disinformation” by monitoring private messages, which influenced political discourse and could potentially sway electoral outcomes.
Benz also shared videos from an Atlantic Council event where a panel discussed coordinating “digital speech bans” in response to two electoral outcomes in 2018: the rise of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and the growing voter support for Narendra Modi in India.
In the video, Fergus Bell, a journalist and media innovator, highlighted the “danger of family WhatsApp groups” in India, as people tend to trust their family members more than “fact-checkers.” Benz pointed out that Bell had established a global media network to “coordinate social media censorship in targeted countries” through a coalition of privileged fact-checkers and mainstream media journalists.
Fergus Bell pointed out the difficulties of fact-checking in India, especially during election periods, during the discussion. He pointed out, “The danger of family WhatsApp groups in India is significant because people tend to trust their family members over fact-checkers.” Bell reflected on his experiences managing elections in both Indonesia and India, highlighting the challenges presented by encrypted messaging platforms such as WhatsApp.
In March 2023, OpIndia, through its detailed coverage of the Twitter Files, uncovered how the Atlantic Council’s DFR Lab sought to censor Twitter accounts linked to the BJP.
USAID, George Soros, and the 'Color Revolution' in India
In March 2017, the Heritage Foundation released a report highlighting how USAID collaborated closely with far-left billionaire George Soros during the Obama administration to advance his "radical agendas" in multiple countries.
The report stated, “…Evidence is emerging that during the past eight years, Soros, his Open Societies Foundations (OSF), and their many smaller affiliates have received U.S. taxpayer money through USAID and that USAID has made the OSF the main implementer of its aid.“
George Soros, a former USAID collaborator, had been targeting a color revolution in India.
In February 2023, the far-left billionaire seized the opportunity presented by the Adani-Hindenburg controversy to launch a harsh critique of the Indian government.
He claimed, “Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies. Their fate is intertwined…Adani Enterprises tried to raise funds in the stock market, but it failed. Adani is accused of stock manipulation and his stock collapsed like a house of cards.”
Soros criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for engaging in crony capitalism. “Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in parliament,” he added.
The Hungarian-American billionaire also mentioned that the disruption caused to Indian markets by the Hindenburg Research report will lead to 'essential institutional reforms' and a 'revival of democracy.'
George Soros and his network of NGOs, activists, and journalists have long been attempting to portray PM Modi as an 'electoral autocrat' who must be removed for the 'greater good' of the country. This effort has been ongoing for quite some time.
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