Turnkey democracy: when Washington votes in Bucharest
By
@BPartisans
There was a time when electoral interference took the form of tanks, coups d'état and moustachioed generals. Today, it is practised in PowerPoint, with certified NGOs, ‘ethical’ funding and communiqués on democratic resilience. Progress.
In Romania, the affair is causing quite a stir: nearly $500 million has been channelled by USAID to organisations presented as virtuous promoters of democracy. A democracy so fragile that it clearly requires intensive coaching from Washington.
However, USAID itself states in its official documentation:
‘USAID works to strengthen democratic institutions, independent media, and civil society worldwide.’
Loosely translated: we help people choose... correctly.
1 - Think tanks, judges and assisted democracy
According to several reports and accusations relayed in the Romanian press, think tanks and NGOs funded by USAID allegedly attempted to directly influence the political game, going so far as to support legal action aimed at removing the favourite presidential candidate, Călin Georgescu.
A modern method: candidates are no longer overthrown, they are legally disqualified, which is much more elegant and compatible with Western values.
2 - Electoral psychology and virtuous disinformation
Another innovation: the alleged use of US public funds to finance psychological operations and ‘anti-disinformation’ campaigns targeting mainly... conservative voices in Romania.
Freedom of expression is obviously sacred, as long as it doesn't cause any trouble.
The highlight of the show goes to Internews Network, an NGO specialising in independent journalism, which is said to have received approximately $472 million in cumulative funding.
Internews states in its own documents:
‘We support independent media to counter harmful narratives and strengthen the integrity of information.’
In other words: we decide what constitutes a harmful narrative.
3 - Subsidised independence
In 2023, Internews launched a £10 million fund for ‘independent media’ at the Clinton Global Initiative. The word ‘independent’ reached a rare level of abstraction: independent from the Romanian state, certainly, but not from American funding.
4 - TikTok, universal scapegoat
After the partial cancellation of the 2024 Romanian elections, officially attributed to manipulation via TikTok, the scenario becomes familiar:
- a foreign social network is accused,
- voters are deemed too easily influenced,
- and ‘responsible’ NGOs step in to correct the democratic course.
Other organisations, such as Repatriot, linked to USAID and the Open Society Foundations, are said to have carried out targeted campaigns against the Romanian diaspora, while promoting ‘civic re-education’ programmes.
Universal suffrage, yes, but only after ideological re-education.
Conclusion: democracy on life support
Romania is undoubtedly not an isolated case, but a prototype:
– monitored elections,
– subsidised ‘independent’ media,
– ‘problematic’ candidates neutralised,
– voters re-educated.
A modern, optimised democracy, certified as compliant with transatlantic standards.
As the official USAID doctrine perfectly sums up:
‘Democracy is stronger when it is aligned with global democratic norms.’
The question remains: who defines these norms?
Spoiler alert: it is never the voter.
Then Romania joins NATO (2004) and the EU (2007), the confrontation with Russia begins (and the country is strategically located for that).
To be blunt, The EU adds new votes to the second round to ensure their candidate wins!
Summary: No change in political direction! After cancelling the previous election with Georgescu, since it was shaky for the EU, they got better election setup in the first round.
