Editing NED

The '''National Endowment for Democracy''', or the '''NED''', is a US deep state soft power apparatus which finances destabilization campaigns in countries targeted by the American Empire.<ref>[https://www.telesurenglish.net/analysis/National-Endowment-for-Destabilization-CIA-Funds-for-Latin-America-in-2018-20190403-0042.html National Endowment for Destabilization? CIA Funds for Latin America in 2018] by [[Martín Pastor]] on [[TeleSur]]</ref> 

In the late 1980s, the NED's president Carl Gersshman admitted that the NED does the same thing as the CIA, but using covert means rather than overt means.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/01/world/missionaries-for-democracy-us-aid-for-global-pluralism.html MISSIONARIES FOR DEMOCRACY: U.S. AID FOR GLOBAL PLURALISM]</ref> Allen Weinstein, who helped write the law creating the NED, said the same thing.<ref name=":0">William Blum, Trojan Horse: the NED. https://williamblum.org/chapters/rogue-state/trojan-horse-the-national-endowment-for-democracy</ref>

It is currently run by Damon Wilson who was previously at the [[Atlantic Council]]<ref>Damon Wilson on Atlantic Council site [https://web.archive.org/web/20090811061552/http://www.acus.org/users/damon-wilson (Archived)]</ref> and has written for [[Bellingcat]].<ref>[https://journal-neo.org/2021/06/24/the-neds-new-ceo-atlantic-council-warmonger-damon-wilson/ The NED’s New CEO: Atlantic Council Warmonger Damon Wilson] by [https://journal-neo.org/author/brian-berletic/ Brian Berletic]  on [[New Eastern Outlook]]</ref>

== Front organizations ==
According to anti-imperialist William Blum, the NED usually launders money through: 

# the International Republican Institute (IRI)
# the National Democratic Institute (NDI)
# an affiliate of the [[American Federation of Labor|AFL-CIO]], such as the American Center for International Labor Solidarity
# an affiliate of the Chamber of Commerce, such as the Center for International Private Enterprise.<ref name=":0" />

From there, the money flows to liberal organizations.

From 1994 to 1996, NED awarded over $2.5 million to the American Institute for Free Labor Development. One of the grants describes an objective as "build union-management cooperation". In other words, the CIA's goal is to prevent the independent organization of the working class. To this end, they will often pay off unions like the [[American Federation of Labor|AFL-CIO]].

== References ==