Former US State Department official Mike Benz has alleged that the United States has actively intervened in domestic politics of many countries including India and Bangladesh using a combination of media influences, Social media censorshipAnd funding of opposition movements. According to Benz, US-supported agencies have used democracy promoting democracy as a cover to influence elections, destabilize governments and align foreign administration with Washington. Strategic interest,
Claims of American intervention in India’s 2019 general elections
Benz has alleged that within the elements US foreign policy Establishment, including USAID, think tanks and major technology companies, manipulated the online discourse against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP to influence India’s 2019 general elections. They claim that these groups worked together to shape the electoral story by promoting the idea that Modi’s political success was largely the result of misinformation, making the basis of widespread censorship.
According to Benz, US-supported institutions strategically implicated Modi’s supporters as spreading fake news online to justify India’s digital space. He claims that several organizations, including people associated with USAID, worked with major international media and digital forensic groups to create reports that described India as a serious incorrect information crisis. This is his argument, an excuse to suppress pro-modi stories on social media platforms.
Benz claims that the US State Department impacted major technical companies like Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube and Twitter to curb pro-modi content. He claims that WhatsApp, which is widely used for political messages in India, was specially targeted for restrictions. He indicates WhatsApp’s decision in January 2019 to curb the ability to reach the BJP voters as a deliberate step to forward the message in India, because the supporters of the party can curb the stage to gather a lot on the stage to gather Trusted more.
He also alleged that USAID and US-Linked Think Tanks played an active role in these efforts by financing counter-mesinformation programs that were actually designed to suppress nationalist movements such as BJP. Benz claims that organizations such as the Atlantic Council and the Global Engagement Center pushed more and more material on social media for moderation under the rationale to prevent misinformation, while in fact, their focus is to reduce the visibility of Pro-Maddy Messaging Was on
Benz further claimed that the anti -modi campaign within the US government was carried out by groups within the state department which was independently operated by the Trump administration. Despite Trump’s strong ties with Modi, he suggests that bureaucratic elements were entered within the state department overseeing cyber policies, actively involved in the coordination of censorship efforts with Big Tech. He said that officials within the Global Engagement Center and other American agencies advised social media companies on material moderation strategies with the aim of limiting nationalist political movements around the world, in which Modi’s BJP often quoted BJP as a target. goes.
While Benz does not confirm the coordination between American-backed institutions and Indian political groups, he claims that many counter-measinformation initiatives working within India at that time have the possibility of weapons funded by weapons of USAID or other US foreign policy Was. He suggests that these organizations gained financial and strategic support to challenge BJP’s digital outreach efforts, affecting political discourses before the elections.
According to Benz, these alleged actions reflect the widespread American strategy of using digital censorship, media narratives and financing of civil society groups to shape political results in other countries. If their claims are correct, they suggest that USAIDs and other US-supported organizations restricted Modi’s influence and work to promote alternative narratives that combine alternative lectures with the objectives of Washington’s foreign policy Actively intervened in the process.
Allegations of American instability efforts in Bangladesh
New York, 25 September (ANI): Bangladesh Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday met US President Joe Biden at the margin of the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. The President Joe Biden expressed full support of the US government to the Bangladesh government. (Annie photo)
Beyond India, Benz has claimed that the US also sought to influence Bangladesh’s political scenario, especially in efforts to weaken Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. He suggests that this was due to Bangladesh’s growing economic and strategic partnership with China, which American policy makers saw as a challenge for their regional impact.
According to the leaked documents quoted by Benz, American-funded organizations such as National Settlement for Democracy and its colleagues allegedly worked on a plan to destabilize the political situation in Bangladesh. These strategies included recruitment of activists, gathering minority groups and using cultural and ethnic tensions to create divisions within society.
One of the more unusual claims is that American taxpayer money was used to fund Bangladeshi rap music designed to promote anti -government spirit. Benz suggests that these songs were strategically targeted on students and youth activists to encourage collective protests.
He argues that this approach aligns with previous US-supported movements in other countries, where soft power strategy, media influence and funding of civil society groups have been used to create adaptable conditions for political changes.
Who is Mike Benz?
Benz is an former US State Department official who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Communications and Information Technology from 2020 to 2021. In this role, he was responsible for making American policy on cyber issues and working closely with large technical companies. Prior to his government service, he worked as a speech writer of the White House for President Donald Trump, advised on technology matters, and practiced business law for many years.
After leaving the government, Benz established the Foundation for Freedom Online (FFO), which is a non-profit dedicated to the manipulation of digital sensors and manipulation of online stories by governments and corporations. Through his work with the FFO, he began an investigation into influencing the USAID, The National Endowment for Democracy (NED), and other American -backed agencies abroad. His research inspired him to highlight the pattern of media manipulation, social media censorship and funding of opposition groups under the guise of democracy promotion. The leaked documents and internal formulas based on knowledge have deployed him as a whistleblower as to how USAIDs and similar institutions are reportedly engaged in secret impact operations around the world.
Comprehensive American influence in other countries
Benz keeps these functions within a broad pattern that affects operations worldwide. He claims that a similar strategy has been seen in other countries, where Washington has demanded to establish or maintain an alliance with its foreign policy goals. He indicates events such as Ukraine’s political upheaval in the political upheaval, support for opposition leaders in Venezuela and intervention in the Middle East and North Africa.
According to Benz, these efforts usually include media stories, digital sensorship, financial assistance for opposition groups and a mixture of diplomatic pressure. He suggests that these tasks are often justified on the pretext of propagating democracy, but in fact, serve strategic interests such as combating China’s influence, achieving military foothills or ensuring economic access.
Claims of independent groups operated within US foreign policy
One of the major claims of Benz is that these operations are often performed by groups within the US foreign policy establishment that are independently operated by the elected government. He alleged that Trump had very little control over rank-end-filing officials in the State Department, many of which followed the policies that denied his administration’s stance.
They suggest that these groups use a network of think tanks, media participation and social media platforms to execute their strategies, sometimes without direct inspection from political leadership. This, according to Benz, states that efforts against Modi and Hasina were pursued even when there were good relations with the two leaders of Trump.
What now?
If Benz’s claims are accurate, they point to a pattern of US foreign policy that prefer strategic interests on the sovereignty of other countries. Allegations show that under the banner of democracy promotion and misinformation control, the US may affect elections, destabilize governments, and when Washington does not align the leadership with the goals, the emphasis is Can give Since geo -political tension continues to increase, especially between the US and China, these perceived effects can become a more important factor in shaping the political landscape beyond South Asia and beyond that. These claims will be more certified, it remains to be seen, but they connect the ongoing debate about the role of foreign intervention in domestic politics around the world.
