☫ 2009 CIA coup attempt in Iran

The road to the 2009 Iran coup attempt Part 4
 

Fact 
120 million dollars given by the US State Department to fund
Iran "Democracy Program" under directive of Cheney's daughter

The Iran 'Democracy' Fund (1)

by Jason Leopold at CounterCurrents
July 2008

Since 2006, Congress has poured tens of millions of dollars into a State Department program aimed at promoting regime change in Iran.

Up until last November, the “Democracy Program” was operated by the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and overseen by David Denehy, the bureau’s senior adviser. The program was reportedly moved last November to the State Department's Bureau of Iranian Affairs.

One of the influential figures who helped launch the democracy program was Elizabeth Cheney, the daughter of Vice President Dick Cheney, who as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, headed the Iran-Syria Policy and Operations Group and, with the financial help of a prominent Republican foundation, the International Republican Institute, financed efforts of dozens of Iranian and Syrian exiles to promote a campaign to overthrow their government leaders.

An aggressive effort by the State Department to fund regime change in Iran is ongoing, but the State Department has refused to provide lawmakers with specific details of the program. Congress has appropriated more than $120 million to fund the project.

The State Department has spent most of the money on the U.S.-backed Radio Farda, Voice of America (VOA), Radio Free Europe, and to broadcast Persian programs into Iran via VOA satellite television.

Some funds, according to State Department sources familiar with the how the program is run, have also been secretly funneled to exile Iranian organizations, and politically connected individuals in order to help the U.S. establish contacts with Iranian opposition groups.

Last September, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, (I-Conn.), introduced an amendment to the Senate Foreign Operations Bill, adopted by unanimous consent, that restored the democracy promotion funds to the $75 million requested by the State Department.

Lieberman said in a floor statement last September. “This $75 million would go to labor activists, women's groups, journalists, human rights advocates, and other members of Iranian civil society.” 

The final appropriation for 2008 was set at $60 million to be made available for "programs to promote democracy, the rule of law and governance in Iran."  But a statement that was included with the bill cited only two numbers related to Iran: $21.8 million for Economic Support Funds (ESF) and $8 million for the Democracy Fund. It is unknown how the State Department intends to spend the remainder of the $60 million.

That would pretty much explain why Iranian authorities - in an obvious effort to protect their nation from destabilization - look upon certain newspapers, TV broadcasts, and journalists with suspicion.

Can you imagine what a Western countries would do with journalists provided Iranian intelligence had unleashed a plan to destabilize their countries? 

Who is then to blame when a newspaper is closed in Iran for containing propaganda for regime change?