Lately, in Europe and elsewhere, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the so-called NGOs—Non-Governmental Organisations. Russia, Georgia, Slovakia, Serbia, and Hungary have all adopted laws aimed at increasing control over foreign NGOs operating within their borders. These new laws have not been well received by the EU and the US, as they hinder the operations of their NGOs in the aforementioned countries. Unsurprisingly, these laws have been labeled as undemocratic and used as a new opportunity to spark protests in those five countries.
By Peter Noordendorp
What many people don’t know is that NGOs, as we understand them today, were essentially invented in the 1970s, especially in the United States, to safeguard U.S. interests in Latin American countries. In short, their task was to insert themselves into the social fabric of Latin America, where strong grassroots political and social movements—often of socialist or communist origin—existed at the time. These NGOs introduced social support programs “to help the population achieve a better life.” But the real aim was to disrupt the existing social structures, demonstrating to people that they no longer needed to organize themselves—since the NGOs were supposedly providing everything, including healthcare and education.
Of course, the term “Non-Governmental Organisation” is misleading, since virtually all of them are funded by state institutions. The most well-known U.S. NGO is USAID, which operates around the world.
In Europe, similar tactics were used, especially in relation to Africa and Southeast Asia. NGOs were sent to “bring welfare” to poor African and Asian populations, but the underlying aim remained the same: to disrupt and prevent grassroots political and social organization. This helped maintain the status quo of post-war neo-colonialism, often with the support of corrupt African governments that served Western interests. Meanwhile, the poor remained poor, and their social cohesion was destroyed—in Africa, Asia, and Latin America alike.
NGOs were never created to bring welfare and prosperity to the poor. They were designed to interfere deeply in the internal affairs of sovereign countries.
From the year 2000 onward, NGOs increasingly became tools in U.S.-led regime change programs, as well as instruments to push EU policy requirements on countries aspiring to join the EU. NATO also played a significant role in this latest evolution. NATO expansion eastward and regime change projects often went hand in hand. And, of course, the CIA was—and still is—directly involved.
Let’s return to the present, and to the origins of the Ukraine conflict—where USAID, other NGOs, and the CIA played a significant role.
The U.S. invested billions in its Ukraine project, beginning even before the Orange Revolution in 2005. The goal was clear: Ukraine must become a NATO member and fall under Western influence, away from Russia. A color revolution was staged, supporting Western-oriented Ukrainian oligarchs.
When, despite these efforts, a pro-Russian president and government were elected in 2010, the NGOs and the CIA began preparing for a second attempt. This attempt, which we now know as the Maidan uprising of 2013/2014, clearly revealed the direct interference of high-level U.S. officials—Victoria Nuland handing out sandwiches to protesters being just one example.
Meanwhile, since 2010, NGOs had been very active in Ukraine, laying the groundwork for a coup in collaboration with far-right and neo-Nazi groups that are especially prevalent in the western part of the country. I won’t go into other relevant elements here, because the focus of this article is the role of NGOs and the dirty work they do for Western governments.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Western NGOs have flooded into Russia, with the task of reshaping the country in the image of a neoliberal Western democracy—organizing local citizens into political and social groups, funded generously with Western money. By the time Vladimir Putin became the first elected president of the Russian Federation, these NGOs were already well entrenched and continued operating throughout the country.
In the same post-2000 period, Georgia also had its pro-Western color revolution, again organized by Western agents and NGOs.
It is abundantly clear that the West—especially the U.S., UK, and EU—believes it has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. This reflects a deep-rooted superiority complex and a lingering colonial mindset. NGOs are part of their superstructure of control and interference. And now, countries—not just in Eastern Europe but elsewhere too—are beginning to push back against their destabilizing presence.
We may agree or disagree with the laws or political systems of different countries. But ultimately, it is up to the people of each country to decide who governs them, not the EU, the US, or any NGO. Every nation has the right to defend itself against foreign interference, especially the kind that aims to destabilize. The history of NGOs is a very ugly one, and they should be thoroughly exposed and dismantled.
