For U.S. democracy, rights and governance programs, the rhetoric may be lofty, but the funding certainly has not been.
In the face of increasing crackdowns by governments against civil society groups and a growing list of countries considered something other than “free,” President Barack Obama has repeatedly declared the U.S. will lead in a “campaign to defend democracy.”
“When your governments may try to pass oppressive laws, we’ll try to oppose them. When they try to cut off your funding, we’re going to try to give you a lifeline. And when they try to silence you, we want to amplify your voice,” Obama told attendees at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York last September.