USAID’s Disinformation Primer: Global Censorship in the Name of Democracy

Shocking revelations from a leaked USAID report expose how the agency collaborates with tech giants and media outlets to stifle free speech, silence dissent, and manipulate public opinion under the guise of fighting fake news.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
USAID Feature photo

A report from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) outlines how the government agency has been encouraging governments, tech platforms, establishment media outlets and advertisers to work together to censor huge swaths of the Internet. The 97-page “disinformation primer,” obtained by conservative firm America First Legal

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Africa’s NATO? How ECOWAS Became a Tool for Western Imperialism

Like the OAS in South America and ASEAN on the Asian continent, ECOWAS serves as a cudgel for US power projection in Africa, and as Alan Macleod reveals, it is now being leveraged against Niger.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
ECOWAS Feature photo

Niger is shaping up to be the surprising frontline of the new Cold War. Yesterday, the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ordered the “activation” and “deployment” of “standby” military forces to the country, an action that threatens to spark a major international war that could make Syria look minor by comparison. In

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Leaked Docs: Facebook ‘Bot’ Adviser Secretly in Pay of US Regime Change Agency

U.K. intelligence-linked communication firm Valent has been advising Facebook on which accounts to ban for inauthentic behavior and on suspicions for being foreign-backed disinformation operations. But documents show that Valent itself is secretly funded by U.S. regime change organization USAID. This connection might explain the recent mass purgings from Sudanese and Ethiopian social media.

Kit Klarenberg
By Kit Klarenberg
Valent Feature photo

Documents shared with MintPress reveal that Valent Projects – a shadowy communications firm that advises social media platforms such as Facebook on alleged state-backed online influence campaigns – has itself received $1.2 million from U.S. intelligence front USAID, for “counter disinformation and communications support.” This relationship has

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USAID, NATO Threaten Intervention as Ethiopia, Eritrea Unite & Form Economic Cooperation with China

Many Ethiopians are dead against any further American involvement, expressing alarm that the U.S. has already sent warships and thousands of troops to the region and supporting the TPLF in anticipation of future events.

Mnar Adley
By Mnar Adley

 Ethiopia is not a country that is on many Americans’ radar. Yet, since 2020, a brutal civil war has raged, displacing an estimated 4 million people. As the conflict continues, hawks in Washington are beginning to circle, demanding the U.S. intervene militarily. “Ethiopia’s civil war is a problem U.S. troops can help solve,” Admiral James

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Creative Associates International (CAI): It’s Not Exactly the CIA, But Close Enough

While mercenary armies like Blackwater have at least been subject to inquiry, making the company’s name infamous around the world, Creative Associates International has largely flown under the radar — exactly where the organization’s board wants it to be.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod

CHEVY CHASE, MARYLAND -- You have likely not heard of them, but Creative Associates International (CAI) is one of the largest and most powerful non-governmental organizations operating anywhere in the world. A pillar of soft U.S. power, the group has been an architect in privatizing the Iraqi education system, designed messenger apps meant to

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The Bay of Tweets: Documents Point to US Hand in Cuba Protests

The U.S. government can cause economic misery for the Cuban people, but it cannot, it appears, convince them to overthrow their government.

Alan Macleod
By Alan Macleod
Cuba Protests Feature photo

HAVANA -- Cuba was rocked by a series of anti-government street protests earlier this week. The U.S. establishment immediately hailed the events, putting its full weight behind the protestors. Yet documents suggest that Washington might be more involved in the events than it cares to publicly divulge. As many have reported, the protests, which

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