Trump made a statement Azerbaijan has been delivering to the world for years
By Tural Heybatov
U.S. President Donald Trump is on a tour of the Middle East. As part of his four-day visit, he stopped in Saudi Arabia, where he held a series of important meetings, concluded several key agreements, and made a number of significant statements.
Of particular note is Trump’s public acknowledgment of the United States’ failed policy of imposing American governance models and lifestyles on other nations for many years. The President sharply criticized previous administrations for military interventions in the Middle East, accusing them of destroying entire countries under the pretext of so-called “nation-building.” He was referring primarily to U.S. military campaigns in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and several other countries.
Trump rightly pointed out that the achievements of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are the result of the efforts of their own peoples, not the outcome of external intervention. Despite trillions of dollars invested by neoconservatives and liberal NGOs in “nation-building” projects, the U.S. failed to achieve stability in either Afghanistan or Iraq.
Source: abcnewsfe
Acknowledging the mistakes of his predecessors, Trump stated that the United States would abandon its previous interventionist approach and focus instead on cooperating with regional leaders, developing joint economic projects, and combating international terrorism.
In this context, it is worth recalling that such destructive scenarios have already been played out in our region and many other countries with the involvement of organizations like the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). For many nations, USAID's “assistance” has long become synonymous with chaos, destabilization, and endless problems resulting from Washington’s interference. It was obvious to all that the agency was not implementing its own initiatives, but rather fulfilling political agendas set by the White House.
One of the consequences of such so-called “humanitarian aid” was the so-called “Arab Spring,” which resulted in a series of bloody conflicts across the Middle East, bringing neither democracy nor prosperity to the peoples of the region. In the post-Soviet space, USAID operated through "soft power," organizing “color revolutions” under the guise of promoting democracy. In practice, this led to chaos and civil unrest.
Source: oii.ox.ac.uk
One must also recall the role of Victoria Nuland, who was behind many of these projects. Under her oversight, a coordination center was established to manage U.S. interference worldwide. This center decided which country would become the next target for “democratization,” channeling funds and resources accordingly.
Ukraine serves as a vivid example. During the “Orange Revolution” of 2004, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) allocated $65 million to support the Ukrainian opposition. From 2007 to 2015, NED invested over $30 million more in Ukrainian NGOs. During the “Euromaidan” protests of 2013–2014, media organizations and activists spreading incendiary materials were funded. More than $100 million was allocated annually through NED to support various organizations, media outlets, and political movements in Ukraine, all aimed at toppling President Viktor Yanukovych.
The same tactics were used in Georgia. Only thanks to the wisdom and independent policy of the current Georgian leadership did the country avoid being drawn into another military conflict. Nevertheless, USAID continued its attempts to destabilize the situation. On the eve of last year’s parliamentary elections in Georgia, local NGOs received over $41 million from USAID aimed at disrupting the electoral process. With USAID’s backing, joint training sessions were held with local NGOs in Tbilisi to teach youth methods for organizing coups.
Similar policies were pursued in Belarus, where USAID spent around $130 million over the past decade on “democratization” projects. NED’s involvement has also been documented in the activities of NGOs in Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, France, and other countries, including efforts to influence elections.
Source: licdn
One of the main targets of these American efforts was Azerbaijan. The exact amount of money spent over the past two decades to destabilize Azerbaijan is unknown. USAID and similar organizations continuously funded local NGOs and political parties, aiming to undermine internal stability and prepare for a coup. Officially, these funds were allocated for the development of civil society, anti-corruption initiatives, youth support programs, and the establishment of various foundations and awards. In reality, these resources were directed toward financing unrest.
This continued until Azerbaijan introduced a ban on foreign funding for NGOs, media outlets, and political parties. This move clearly irritated external actors. It is no coincidence that in 2014, alongside the crisis in Ukraine, there were attempts to destabilize Azerbaijan. Although these efforts failed, they triggered an anti-Azerbaijani campaign in the West that continues to this day.
We clearly remember how USAID and NED orchestrated biased information campaigns against Azerbaijan during major international events such as the European Games, Eurovision, Formula 1, the COP29 Climate Conference, and others. Notably, in the run-up to the European Games, then-Secretary of State John Kerry appointed NED, primarily funded by USAID, as the coordinator of this campaign. IFEX, under Victoria Nuland’s direct orders, organized massive attacks on the official social media pages of the European Games. The unrest in various regions of Azerbaijan in 2012 and 2013 also resulted from USAID’s activities.
Notably, at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Elon Musk, head of the Office of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) created by Trump, openly stated that programs run by USAID and NED have no right to exist and do not deserve American taxpayers' money. “When we examined these programs, we kept asking ourselves: why do they even exist? What is their purpose? For example, the National Endowment for Democracy. Have they achieved democracy? I doubt it. Of course, I’m not against democracy. But why do these programs deserve funding? I don’t think they do,” Musk said.
Following the statements by Trump and Musk, many countries began to openly speak about the harm caused by American organizations. In Tbilisi, for example, NED was directly accused of interfering in Georgia’s internal affairs with the aim of overthrowing its democratically elected government. USAID and NED offices operated in Georgia without coordinating with the authorities, keeping them uninformed about their activities.
Source: rollingstone
It is worth noting that former NED Regional Director Miriam Lanskoy, who actively oversaw these processes, now serves as the European Parliament’s permanent rapporteur on Armenia and continues to engage in anti-Azerbaijani propaganda.
In China, NED has long been referred to as the U.S. government’s “white gloves,” used by Washington to intervene globally under the guise of noble causes. These “gloves” hide the true, dirty methods of manipulating public opinion, organizing color revolutions, and destabilizing sovereign states. However, keeping these actions hidden has proven impossible. Sovereign nations have begun defending their rights, formulating independent policies, and refusing to bow to Washington’s dictates.
What Donald Trump is now stating is nothing new for Azerbaijan. Baku was the first to expose the destructive nature of this policy and the first to take measures to safeguard its sovereignty. For this, our country faced massive attacks from the West, but it continued to follow its own path. Today, Trump’s acknowledgment merely confirms that Azerbaijan was right all along.
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