History of US Embassy ‘interference’ in the internal affairs of countries

 

– by Shenali D Waduge –

If anyone has the guts to call a spade a spade it is Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary, Mr. Gotabaya Rajapakse who has rightly pointed public attention to the US embassy in Colombo pursuing a political agenda. When countries had been henpecking Sri Lanka to hold elections in the name of ‘democracy’ after elections had been held the US embassy now claims ‘democracy is not simply about elections’. According to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) Article 41 diplomats cannot interfere in the internal affairs in the receiving country and is deemed a violation of diplomatic protocol.

Michele Sison is the present ambassador and joins a list of former others including Patricia Butenis and Robert Blake infamous for similar intrusions on the internal affairs of sovereign nations. Yet Ms. Sison seems to think that coming from a country now famous for functioning as a bull in a China shop, she has the right to do as she pleases and her record of interference covers meeting Muslim activists, NGOs in the East, exploring ways in which dissent can be created or manufactured which is what the US has been famous for over the years. If we strictly go by all principles of human rights, war crimes, crimes against humanity and the like – the West in particular US, UK have to meekly acknowledge their shame it is ONLY because they have come to hold international laws, dictate international trade and international terms and concepts that they get away helped because the countries that we call the Third World are still struggling to decolonize themselves from always falling at the feet of these neo-colonial nations.

Powerful diplomats are today openly meeting politicians, entertaining NGOs/ minority groups and slowly creating a coterie of ‘yes’ men/women who would do the dirty work on their behalf against the nation. Yet, joining this list for lack of action unless prompted is Sri Lanka’s own foreign minister, who we are afraid to say belongs to the ‘unwinnable war’ group despite his new feigned role pretending to thank the armed forces for the war victory. We continue to question his true allegiance and possibly that of many others in the Government which strengthens our caution as to how many enemies are pretending to be friends and urges the Government to be wary. Let it not be forgotten that Gaddafi’s fate was tragically sealed by his own son who thought the West could be trusted and divulged information unknown to Gaddafi sealing the fate of the Gaddafi family and the Libyan nation – anyone witnessing what the West has done to Libya would realize the fate that befalls nations if they place their trust in the West that has no respect or regard for Third World developing nations.

Sri Lanka has had its share of nosy parker diplomats – India’s Dixit, David Gladstone of UK (declared persona non grata by President Premadasa), Dominick Chilcott, Weerth former Germany ambassador, Erik Solheim Norwegian special envoy are just some of the names that come to mind.  

Just in case there are some local stooges and colonial sycophants who will be quick to claim Sri Lanka is paranoid about ‘interference’ and obsessed with ‘conspiracy’ theories the following newsheadings of complaints made all over the world by different countries on the same incursions, intrusions and interferences by US Embassy and Ambassadors will reveal true status quo.  

• Lebanese Member of Parliament Nawaf Mousawi accused the U.S. embassy in Lebanon on Sunday of meddling into Lebanese internal affairs (2010). “She does not commit to norms and diplomacy limits. The U.S. embassy in Lebanon is a state within the state,” he said. The Ambassador in question is the present US Ambassador in Sri Lanka Ms. Michelle Sison.
• Pakistan – Karachi students yesterday demonstrated before the US Embassy on Victoria Road against the “unwarranted interference” of the USA in the domestic as well as foreign affairs of Pakistan (September 2013)
• Ireland – US Embassy funding Irish Gay rights group (September 2013)
• Cambodia accuses US Embassy of interference in elections (September 2013) ‘“Cambodia is a sovereign country, and the parliament was elected by the people… the US orders the Cambodian parliament to do this or that. It is unacceptable.”
• Yemen Accuses US Ambassador of Interference in Domestic Affairs
• A group of Thai royalists has protested at the United States Embassy and United Nations office in Bangkok over what they say is interference in Thailand’s internal affairs. Under the law, anyone found guilty of insulting the King, Queen, or Crown Prince of Thailand is punished with a mandatory 3 to 15 years in jail.
• U.S. Embassy employee accused of spying flies ordered out of Moscow
• Blatant interference by the U.S. in Guyana’s internal affairs unacceptable – Our history has also shown that the U.S. was responsible for 28 years of suffering and dictatorship under PNC rule
• China on Friday refuted an annual human rights report issued by the U.S. State Department, urging the United States to stop interfering in other countries’ domestic affairs by using human rights issues. China urged the U.S. side to examine its own human rights issues more and refrain from depicting itself as a human rights watchdog
• Iraq asks US embassy in Iraq to close down because of interference in internal affairs
• Bolivia, Ecuador Accuse U.S. Of Destabilization Plots. Bolivia has been a thorn in the US’ side because of its anti-neoliberal and anti-imperialist policies, pioneered by President Evo Morales, the country’s first indigenous leader. Ecuadorian President Correa spoke out over the weekend, voicing concerns of a possible CIA plot to remove him in the run-up to governmental elections in February.
• Kenya – US embassy interfering in vote tallying
• Ecuador’s foreign minister announced here Wednesday that U.S. Embassy First Secretary Mark Sullivan is being expelled for interfering in the internal workings of the Andean nation’s police. “Foreign minister, give this gentleman 48 hours to pack up his suitcases and get out of the country”.
• U.S. Embassy official expelled from Venezuela for allegedly spying on the military
• U.S. Embassy in Venezuela gave $ 10 million to the opposition in 2009 to counter the power of President Chavez….the Embassy requests three million dollars more to increase efforts to connect with recently elected state and local authorities…the objective of the U.S. embassy in Venezuela was to work with oppositional authorities and mayor’s offices to “strengthen” them with money and strategic support from Washington ….5 million were aimed at support of local opposition authorities, 4 million – to NGOs working with issues of human rights, democratic participation and student/youth movement of the opposition; and 1 million was used to support preparations for elections to the National Assembly in 2010
• Venezuela: WikiLeaks shows US use ‘NGOs’ to cover intervention. dozens of non-government organisations (NGOs) are financially maintained by US government-funded US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI). This includes “over 300 Venezuelan civil society organizations”, ranging from disability advocates to education programs.
• Bahraini lawmakers have urged the government to stop the U.S. ambassador in Bahrain from “interfering in domestic affairs” and meeting government opponents
  
• Bahrain approves proposal to stop ‘interference’ by US ambassador
• U.S. ambassador interferes in Romanian impeachment process
• CPI (M) – India accuses US embassy of interfering in India’s internal policies.
• Tunisia – Tunisians condemn US over interference in internal affairs
• A TOP United States official has confirmed that his country is funding the local opposition and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working inside Zimbabwe to effect regime change and install a pro-Western leader as has recently been the case in Ukraine and Iraq….while testifying before the US House Sub-Committee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Relations in Washington on April 21.
• Albanian judges accuses US of interference
  
• US envoy to Philippines was expelled by Bolivia in 2008 for allegedly conspiring against the government of President Evo Morales.
  
• The Bolivian government expelled U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg, following revelations that the U.S. Embassy in La Paz had asked Peace Corps volunteers and a Fulbright scholar to spy inside Bolivia, together with growing evidence, amid official secrecy, of U.S. funding for violent opposition groups [emphasis added]. President Morales declared in 2007 that USAID was directly funding efforts to undermine his government.
• South Americans back Venezuela’s Maduro, blast US ‘interference’ says he has proof that the “US embassy is financing the ongoing protests”. Brazil’s former president Lula da Silva had acknowledged Maduro as the winner of the election and told the US not to interfere. “Americans should take care of their own business a little and let us decide our own destiny,”
• US govt is sponsoring Aussie carbon tax activists
• US embassy interfering in internal affairs of Sierra Leone (Wikileaks)
• US bankrolled anti-Morsi activists : US money trail to Egyptian Spring. US channeled funding through a State Department programme to promote democracy in the Middle East region. This programme vigorously supported activists and politicians who have fomented unrest in Egypt, after autocratic president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in a popular uprising in February 2011. The State Department’s programme, dubbed by US officials as a “democracy assistance” initiative,
  
• US Embassy backs US$2.5 million election assistance program for the Maldives
  
• Cambodia ‘threatens’ US-funded radio stations – Radio Free Asia and Voice Of America of favouring opposition parties and promoting Washington’s foreign policy.
  
• Iran To Sue U.S. For CIA’s Role In 1953 Coup That Overthrew PM Mohammed Mossadegh
  
• Iran To Sue US For Funding Internal Opposition
  
• Deputy Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the MSAR, has warned of “interference and intervention” by foreign institutions in the coming Legislative Assembly (AL) election.

Quoting from the Strategic Culture Foundation by Wayne Madsen on article titled ‘US Government-supported election interference’ poignant areas highlighted were :

• International Foundation of Electoral Systems (IFES) an NGO certifies elections as free and fair when US-backed candidates/political parties win but if they lose they organize massive protests and calls for sanctions
• IFES said to be part of an international coalition of NGOs financially backed by George Soros’s Open Society Institute (OSI). IFES receives funding from National Endowment for Democracy(NED) and US Agency for International Development (USAID) through US State Dept’s Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI)
• Wayne Madsen claims USAID contractor Development Alternatives Inc (DAI) has been linked to CIA destabilization in Cuba, Pakistan, Haiti, Bolivia, Indonesia and Venezuela and funded by Freedom House. Madsen also claims that DAI was also once the employer in Indonesia of Stanley Ann Dunham, President Obama’s mother whose official biography ignores her CIA clandestine work under DAI, USAID, Ford Foundation, and World Bank cover in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India.

Please refer rest of article : http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2013/04/22/us-government-supported-election-interference.html