'Aiding chaos': USAID’s role in engineering regime change, social unrest worldwide

By Maryam Qarehgozlou

After President Donald Trump’s executive order suspending all US foreign aid programs, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has again come under intense scrutiny.

This renewed attention casts a spotlight on USAID’s history of fomenting unrest and orchestrating "regime change" worldwide since it was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy.

On January 21, on his first day back in office, Trump signed the order—among many others—to freeze funding for US foreign assistance for a 90-day review period to determine whether these programs align with his “America First” foreign policies.

On January 25, the US State Department ordered a sweeping freeze on new funding for almost all US foreign assistance, exempting emergency food programs and military aid to Israel and Egypt.

In fiscal year 2023, the US has disbursed $72 billion in assistance—approximately 1 percent of its budget—supporting programs in 204 countries and regions. These initiatives purportedly span various sectors, including disaster relief, health, and so-called pro-democracy endeavors.

USAID, the agency responsible for implementing much of the US foreign aid program, is significantly impacted by Trump’s order. The directive effectively halts the agency’s current $42.8 billion budget allocated for global operations.

Last week, reports revealed that many senior USAID officials were affected by furloughs, dismissals, and disciplinary leaves, amid an investigation into attempts to circumvent the executive order.

In addition, several hundred Washington-based contractors and others around the world were laid off. On Saturday, the USAID website went offline. The agency’s computer servers were carted away.

Trump administration has vowed to strip USAID of its independence as a government agency and place it under the State Department’s control, not to save taxpayer money but to spend it the way he deems fit, according to observers, including on the Tel Aviv regime and its lobbies. 

Although it remains unclear whether the president possesses the legal authority to bypass Congress and order USAID’s merger into the State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Monday that he has been named acting director of USAID.

On Monday, Trump stated that he doesn’t need Congress to scrap the agency. “Not when it comes to fraud. If there’s fraud, these people are lunatics,” Trump said.

Billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk, who was appointed as head of the Department of Government Efficiency last month, said on Monday that Trump agreed the USAID needs to be “shut down.”

“With regards to the USAID stuff, I went over it with (the president) in detail and he agreed that we should shut it down,” Musk said in an X Spaces conversation.

On the same day a group of Senate and House Democrats, who are opposed to Trump’s efforts to shut down the agency, were blocked from entering the headquarters of the USAID.

On Thursday, the Trump administration said it will keep 611 essential workers onboard at USAID out of a worldwide workforce that totals more than 10,000.

Following a lawsuit by unions representing the USAID, US District Judge Carl Nichols on Friday temporarily allowed roughly 2,700 USAID employees put on leave by Trump’s administration to go back to work, pausing aspects of the plan to dismantle the agency.

‘Arm of regime change’

According to observers, there is a dark side to US-provided foreign aid, particularly involving USAID.

Over the years, activists have frequently exposed the exploitation of USAID by successive US governments to push their nefarious agendas abroad. In numerous instances, the agency has served as a cover for US “regime change” plots in many countries, from Cuba to Syria to Venezuela. 

Afshin Rattansi, British journalist and author, underscored that USAID functions as “an arm of regime change and subversion,” infiltrating societies in the Global South and inciting unrest against leaders who either refuse to comply with Washington’s economic or do not align with US foreign policy.

“Millions in the global south will celebrate the end of this organization which created fake neoliberal revolutions for hire, to destroy real revolutionary movements and governments,” Rattansi wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday.

Furthermore, some activists perceived the move to suspend USAID funding as a direct affront to the interests of the “Deep State” to influence policy and pursue its own agendas.

Independent journalist and documentary filmmaker James Li expressed this view on X.

“The Trump admin is moving to shut down USAID. And the deep state is furious. Why? Because USAID isn’t really a ‘humanitarian aid agency’ — it’s a covert intelligence arm funding coups, protests & regime change," he stated.

USAID’s program in Cuba to foment rebellion

As early as October 2009, a project overseen by USAID involved sending young people from Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Peru to Cuba under the guise of health and civic programs, with the covert intention of inciting rebellion.

The travelers worked undercover, often posing as tourists, and traveled around the island scouting for people they could turn into political activists, an Associated Press investigation revealed in 2014.

In one instance, the workers organized an HIV-prevention workshop, which internal memos obtained by the AP described as “the perfect excuse” to further the program’s hidden political objectives.

USAID also created a fake Cuban Twitter platform, ZunZuneo, aiming to attract young users and gradually expose them to anti-government content to provoke protests.

However, the programs operated under USAID, which used its international aid work to cover its stealthy operations, didn’t appear to achieve their goals.

The traveler's program was launched when newly inaugurated President Barack Obama’s administration was talking about a “new beginning” with Cuba.

USAID’s regime changes against Chavez, Maduro

The USAID was known for funneling millions of dollars to opposition groups in efforts to overthrow Venezuelan presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro from 2002 to the present.

In 2002, the US sponsored a failed coup attempt against democratically-elected president Chavez, who was making major investments in social programs for Venezuelans while defying US demands.

Although the George Bush administration attempted to distance itself from the coup, it promptly endorsed the government under businessman Pedro Carmona.

However, the coup was dramatically reversed after 48 hours when Chavez’s supporters flooded the streets, demanding his return.

In 2013, WikiLeaks released a 2006 State Department cable outlining the Bush administration’s strategy to undermine Chavez by supporting so-called "pro-democracy" groups.

The cable, signed by then-Ambassador William Brownfield in August 2004, described a five-point strategy including “penetrating Chavez’s political base,” “dividing Chavismo,” “protecting vital US business” and “isolating Chavez internationally.”

Those goals were to be obtained by strengthening “democratic institutions,” according to the cable.

Brownfield wrote that USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives (USAID/OTI) played a crucial role in this effort, saying that strengthening democratic institutions “represents the majority of USAID/OTI work in Venezuela.”

“Organized civil society is an increasingly important pillar of democracy, one where President Chavez has not yet been able to assert full control.”

American lawyer, writer, and journalist Eva Golinger noted that after failing to oust Chávez, USAID/OTI reoriented its funding, increased its budget and began focusing on crafting an opposition “youth movement” using new technologies like Twitter, Facebook, and other internet media to build an international campaign against the Venezuelan president.

“From 2006 to 2010, more than 34 percent of USAID’s budget—which neared $15 million per year—was used to fund university programs, workshops, and other events to aid youth in building an anti-Chávez movement,” Golinger said.

By 2010, external funding for West-backed opposition groups in Venezuela reportedly exceeded $57 million, primarily from USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

On Wednesday, Diosdado Cabello, the first vice president of Venezuela’s United Socialist Party (PSUV) said that several opposition leaders were involved in corruption scandals linked to the USAID.

Cabello said that Juan Guaidó, Leopoldo López, and Carlos Vecchio, were involved in a scheme to misuse funds designated for humanitarian aid in an attempt to overthrow President Maduro.

Cabello said that these leaders received substantial sums of money from USAID, with Guaidó receiving over $300 million, Vecchio around $160 million, and López $700 million.

According to Cabello, these funds were used to finance a “regime change” operation instead of providing aid or assistance to the Venezuelan people.

USAID and the 2014 Ukraine coup

Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was illegitimately removed from office in a Western-backed coup in February 2014 in a plot engineered under the USAID program, according to observers.

The coup was triggered by the Euromaidan or the Maidan Uprising, a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on November 21, 2013, with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kiev.

The protests were sparked by Yanukovych’s decision not to sign the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement, instead choosing closer ties to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union.

Documents suggest that before the Euromaidan, the USAID and NED provided significant funding to opposition groups and media in Ukraine.

These reports have been confirmed by several US public figures, including former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., filmmaker Oliver Stone, and defense expert from the Cato Institute, Ted Galen Carpenter.

In an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson, Kennedy Jr., who is now the Health Secretary, said the CIA, operating through USAID, spent $5 billion to instigate the 2014 color revolution in Ukraine.

“There are riots in Ukraine called Maidan, but we are not told that we are funding these riots. The newspapers never told us, our government never told us that USAID, which is a front for the CIA, has invested five billion dollars in funding these riots,” Kennedy Jr. said

He added that these actions were carried out under the pretense of defending freedom and democracy in the country that has been embroiled in a devastating war for more than two years.

A leaked conversation between Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt in February 2014 further indicated US involvement in aiding the Ukrainian opposition.

The audio clip exposed Nuland, weighing in on the makeup of the next Ukrainian government.

Nuland was heard telling US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt that she doesn’t think Vitaly Klitschko, the boxer-turned-politician who is a main opposition leader, should be in a new government.

The exchange validated suspicions of US involvement in shaping Ukraine’s political transition, intensifying debates about Western intervention in the country’s internal affairs.

Bolivia expels USAID

In 2013, Bolivian President Evo Morales kicked out the USAID for seeking to “conspire against” the Bolivian people and his government.

According to Morales, USAID programs had “political rather than social” ends and were “manipulating” and “using” union leaders.

Reports indicate that USAID was funding separatist movements in Bolivia’s richest provinces.

According to USAID’s Bolivia website, the agency operated there since 1964 claiming to carry out health, sustainable development, and environmental programs.

The agency stated that its 2011 budget for Bolivia amounted to $26.7

USAID’s overthrow of Haiti’s leader

USAID has also been implicated in the 1991 overthrow of Haiti’s democratically elected leader Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Evidence suggests that USAID backed opposition groups and death squads in the country, contributing to the destabilization of Aristide’s government and ultimately leading to his ouster.

This involvement came to light following the coup, as it was revealed that USAID funds and resources had been used to support anti-Aristide groups, providing them with the means to undermine the government and sow discord.

These actions have been widely condemned as a blatant interference in Haiti’s internal affairs, disregarding the country’s democratic processes and sovereignty.

The aftermath of Aristide’s removal saw Haiti plunge into political turmoil and violence, as various factions vied for power.

This instability lasted for years, having long-lasting effects on the Haitian people and their prospects for a more prosperous future.

USAID a front for ‘counterinsurgency operations’ in Afghanistan

During the United States’ occupation of Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, the USAID was reported to be “a front for counterinsurgency operations” while consolidating the occupation. 

Aid workers mapped communities in the South Asian country, collected intelligence, and helped identify Taliban sympathizers for US drone strikes, reports said.

In the 2010 report “Fixing Intel: A Blueprint for Making Intelligence Relevant in Afghanistan,” authored by Major General Michael T. Flynn and others, the authors highlighted the need for improved intelligence operations in Afghanistan.

They emphasized the importance of understanding local socio-economic dynamics and suggested that information gathered by various entities, including aid groups, could be valuable for military operations.

Throughout the two decades of US military occupation in Afghanistan, thousands of civilians were killed in US drone strikes, and the perpetrators were never held accountable. 

While the military has occasionally acknowledged responsibility for incidents involving airstrikes or ground raids that led to civilian casualties, no one was brought to justice.

US-backed coup in Chile

On September 11, 1973, Chile’s democratic process suffered a severe blow when Salvador Allende, South America’s first democratically elected president, was violently overthrown in a bloody coup led by General Augusto Pinochet.

The United States primarily backed this coup, as according to analysts, Allende was perceived as a threat to the capitalist interests Washington sought to preserve in the region.

In the lead-up to the CIA-backed coup, USAID served as a channel for the spy agency to funnel millions of dollars into media campaigns and opposition groups that targeted Allende.

This effort to undermine Allende’s presidency set the stage for the impending military takeover.

Shortly before the September 1973 coup, Chile encountered bread shortages and requested credit from the United States to purchase 300,000 tons of wheat. The Richard Nixon administration denied this request, exacerbating economic turmoil and providing a pretext for the coup.

Less than a month after the coup, on October 5, 1973, the Nixon administration extended $24.5 million in wheat credits to the Chilean Junta, which had seized power.

In September 1974, President Gerald Ford defended the US role in the coup, asserting that it was “in the best interest of the people in Chile and certainly in our own best interests.”

In 2011, the Chilean government acknowledged that more than 40,000 people had been murdered, disappeared, or tortured by the Pinochet dictatorship.

USAID caught engineering a coup in Slovakia

USAID, NED, and other NGOs have invested millions of dollars in Slovakia to manufacture protests, destabilize the government, and in favor of a pro-Western regime change.

They have been caught funding Slovakian NGOs under the pretense of promoting “civil society” and “democracy promotion.”

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico has so far successfully countered attempts by foreign entities to destabilize his government. Fico maintains that the anti-government protests, which began last year, have been orchestrated by external forces.

On Friday, Fico identified the Georgian National Legion, a military group associated with Ukraine’s war against Russia, as coordinating with the plotters.

Reports suggest that up to one-third of the protesters are Ukrainian and other foreign nationals.

Ukrainian media outlets are openly supporting the protests, with Kiev-linked organizations actively coordinating unrest. Western embassies have also been openly collaborating with opposition groups, a tactic reminiscent of previous color revolutions.

On January 24, Slovakia’s General Health Insurance Company was hit by a cyberattack. Fico described the incident as a “textbook example” of pressure exerted on governments resisting Ukrainian and Western demands.

As Fico moved to limit NGO influence and deport foreign agents last May, a pro-Western assassin with connections to foreign-funded groups attempted to assassinate him.

USAID funneled billions into Syria to topple Assad

The USAID-backed regime change operation in Syria is considered one of the most extensive operations of the 21st century, ultimately leading to the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in 2024 by militant groups backed by the West and its regional allies.

For over a decade, USAID, NED, and Western-backed NGOs played a central role in the foreign-instigated Syrian war, by financing opposition groups, crafting propaganda, and conducting intelligence operations under the guise of “humanitarian aid,” as reported by DD Geopolitics.

USAID reportedly channeled more than $15 billion into the Arab country, covertly funding militant groups, mercenaries, opposition networks and various anti-government activities.

One key group funded by USAID was the White Helmets, which was later exposed for its collaboration with the al-Qaeda terrorist group and the fabrication of propaganda videos to justify US intervention.

Additionally, USAID provided logistical support to exiled opposition groups, assisting in the creation of a US-backed shadow government in the Arab country.

President Assad’s government consistently pushed back against these foreign-backed attempts at destabilization. In 2014, Syria expelled several USAID-backed NGOs owing to their financial ties to insurgents.

Two years later, the government exposed the collaboration between the USAID-funded White Helmets and various militant groups.

Despite these efforts to push back against external interference, the US and its allies relentlessly pursued their objective to oust Assad.

“NGOs are being used to destabilize Syria. They pretend to help, but in reality, they work for foreign intelligence services,” Assad said in 2018.

USAID spends $600 million on anti-Russian media

An X account with the handle @MyLordBobeo shared a passage, from a book or academic article, discussing US foreign policy concerning Russia and Venezuela and highlighting USAID’s role.

The text focuses on political interventions and funding related to opposition efforts against the Venezuelan and Russian governments.

The excerpt discussed the involvement of USAID in Venezuela, specifically highlighting its support for opposition leader Juan Guaidó in efforts to overthrow President Maduro.

It stated that in 2019, USAID signed an agreement with Guaidó, providing $98 million in assistance.

“In order to overthrow Venezuelan President Maduro and open up Venezuela and its oil reserves to US corporations, USAID signed an agreement with the US-backed opposition leader Guaidó in October 2019, according to which USAID will support Guaidó in his efforts to take power in Venezuela with 98 million dollars,” read the text, originally written in German.

Additionally, the text references USAID’s budget allocation for “free media” to counter Russian influence, amounting to $598 million for 2020.

“And because Russia does not want to hand over its oil to US corporations either, USAID has received a budget of 598 million dollars for 2020 alone to pay for “free media” that report anti-Russian and pro-Americans,” it added.

The citations to the Reuters and AP at the end suggest it might be part of a larger discussion on US influence in global politics, referencing specific news articles for support.

Leaked doctrine on the use of USAID in economic warfare

A leaked US Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) doctrine exposed the extent to which the US USES economic instruments, including USAID programs, as part of its unconventional warfare (UW) strategies.

The document sheds light on the orchestrated interplay between various governmental entities, including the Army Special Operations Forces, the Department of State (DOS), the Intelligence Community (IC), the Department of Commerce (DOC), and USAID.

According to the document, ARSOF is authorized to employ “measured and focused economic incentives and disincentives” across multiple levels to influence the behavior of “adversaries, allies, and surrogates.”

Such economic maneuvers are executed under the guise of a carefully crafted and integrated unconventional warfare plan, it said.

It highlights the need for ARSOF to work closely with the Department of State and the intelligence community to identify vulnerable groups in a targeted area and predict the potential outcomes of applying economic pressure.

USAID’s presence in foreign countries and its mission to engage with local populations provides an opportunity for the US to exert economic influence, it added.

Similarly, it said, the Department of Commerce can use its connections with American companies operating overseas to further strategic objectives.

The passage also underlines the significance of Information Operations (IO) in managing public perception of US unconventional warfare efforts. This includes anticipating and shaping the narrative around economic promises made (or unfulfilled) to maintain legitimacy.

The leaked document offers an unprecedented glimpse into the US government’s orchestration of various agencies and resources, particularly USAID, to engage in economic warfare as a means to advance strategic objectives.

This revelation raises critical questions about the covert use of humanitarian aid and development programs for ulterior political ends.

“As clearly illustrated, USAID pretends to be about ‘democracy’ and ‘helping’ the world,” wrote journalist James Li in a post on X.

“But in reality, it was always a covert tool of U.S. power — a front for CIA-backed regime change, election meddling, and civil destabilization disguised as ‘humanitarian aid,’” he added.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has also said that cutting USAID funding would not only benefit the United States but also other countries around the world.

He added that while USAID is marketed as a supporter of development, democracy, and human rights, a significant portion of its funds are channeled into opposition groups, politically motivated NGOs, and destabilizing movements.

“Most governments don’t want USAID funds flowing into their countries because they understand where much of that money actually ends up,” Bukele wrote in a post on X on Sunday.

“At best, maybe 10% of the money reaches real projects that help people in need (there are such cases), but the rest is used to fuel dissent, finance protests, and undermine administrations that refuse to align with the globalist agenda,” he added.

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