Mike Benz · Video summary
USAID & The Rap Game (Part 2)
The CIA used rap music to topple the government of Senegal in 2012, funding a youth movement that led to violent riots and the ousting of the president. This operation was part of a broader strategy of using cultural diplomacy to achieve geopolitical objectives.
Watch on YouTube ↗Key takeaways
- 🕵️♂️NED was created at the request of the CIA and its first supervisor was a senior CIA officer, highlighting its role as a cutout for US intelligence operations.00:42
- 📝USAID reports on the Senegalese protests conspicuously omitted NED's funding of the M23 movement, demonstrating a deliberate attempt to obscure foreign involvement.01:34
- 🎤The leading figure of the Y'en a Marre rap collective, which spearheaded protests in Senegal, became a 'Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellow' with NED, indicating direct foreign influence.02:03
- 🇺🇸Victoria Nuland, a key State Department official, publicly demanded President Wade step aside and later rejoined NED's board, illustrating the direct link between US foreign policy and NED's activities.14:10
- 📚Mark Katz, a prominent academic, theorizes on 'subversive complicity,' where artists act subversively against their government while appearing complicit, a strategy used by the CIA through cultural programs.36:10
- 🎶USAID's 2007 campaign in Jordan commissioned a rap song to mobilize first-time voters, showcasing the explicit use of music for political objectives.4297
Chapters
- 0:00The CIA's Use of Rap Music in Senegal
- 0:37NED as a CIA Cutout
- 2:06The "Mixtape of the Revolution" in Senegal
- 3:23The Reagan-Fascell Democracy Fellowship
- 5:28NED's Public Presentation on Senegal
- 11:51The Anti-Wade Protests and Their Violent Outcome
- 23:30Victoria Nuland's Role
- 30:18Hip-Hop Diplomacy: A Global Strategy
- 50:45The Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF)
- 1:04:03Disinformation and Censorship Programs
- 1:11:37USAID's Rap Music Campaigns in Jordan
- 1:18:58Pussy Riot and NED's Support
The digest
In 2012, Senegal experienced its most violent riots in history, culminating in the ousting of President Abdoulaye Wade. While mainstream media portrayed these events as an organic, grassroots youth movement fueled by rap music, a deeper investigation reveals the fingerprints of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and its proxies, particularly the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
NED: A CIA Cutout for Regime Change
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is a non-governmental organization (NGO) funded by the US government through USAID and the State Department. Despite its seemingly benevolent mission of promoting democracy worldwide, evidence suggests NED operates as a quintessential CIA cutout. It was created at the explicit request of the CIA, and its first supervisor was Walter Raymond Jr., a senior CIA officer who previously ran the agency's foreign propaganda operations. The CIA maintains oversight of NED's activities, receiving copies of every grant made. This structure provides the US government with plausible deniability for its interventions, allowing it to fund and support groups that would be politically problematic for the CIA to directly engage with.
Keep reading in The Digest
The full 4-minute article, 4 more sections, and every new episode from Mike Benz and the creators you follow.
- The "Mixtape of the Revolution": Orchestrating Dissent Through Rap
- From Voter Cards to Violent Riots: The Escalation of the M23 Movement
- The Global Reach of Hip-Hop Diplomacy: A State Department Initiative
- The Architects of Influence: From Victoria Nuland to Mark Katz
More from Mike Benz
Brazil's 1st Election After USAID
Brazil's recent election was an "earthquake," reflecting years of public rage at the ballot box. This outcome is linked to the closure of USAID and its controversial activities in Latin America.
USAID & The Rap Game (Part 1)
This video explores the intricate relationship between the music industry and government intelligence agencies, revealing how soft power and cultural diplomacy are leveraged to influence global narratives and achieve strategic objectives.
Crazy New State Dept Censorship Files
Mike Benz exposes the State Department's Global Engagement Center (GEC) and its alleged involvement in domestic censorship and the manipulation of public discourse, particularly concerning "gendered disinformation."
USAID and Internews: A CIA Love Story
In this video, Mike Benz explores the controversial connections between Internews, a media nonprofit, and the CIA, revealing how it has been funded by U.S. government agencies to influence media narratives globally, particularly during regime changes and conflicts. Benz argues that Internews operates as a significant player in the censorship industrial complex, promoting U.S. geopolitical interests under the guise of independent journalism.
The Business Side of the Censorship Industry (Part 2)
In Part 2 of "The Business Side of the Censorship Industry," Mike Benz explores the economics of the counter disinformation industry, detailing its evolution from a niche market to a multi-billion dollar sector driven by corporate interests and government partnerships, while highlighting the roles of key players like NewsGuard and the Global Disinformation Index.
The Business Side of the Censorship Industry
In this video, Mike Benz explores the censorship industry, highlighting how organizations like Tech Policy Press influence governmental policies to consolidate power over speech and promote their own narratives, while also profiting from compliance with new censorship regulations. He critiques the intertwining of government and corporate interests within this censorship complex, emphasizing the potential dangers of such concentrated control over information.