Foundation for Defense of Democracies
AbbreviationFDD
Formation2001 (2001)
Type501(c)(3) organization
13-4174402
Location
President
Clifford May
CEO
Mark Dubowitz
Websitewww.fdd.org

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit think tank and (since 2019) a registered lobbying organization based in Washington, D.C., United States.[1][2][3]

FDD publishes research on foreign policy and security issues, focusing on subjects such as nuclear-non proliferation, cyber threats, sanctions, illicit finance, and policy surrounding North Korea, Iran, Russia, the war in Afghanistan, and other areas of study.[4][5]

History and mission

FDD was founded shortly after the September 11 attacks in 2001.[6] In the initial documents filed for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service, FDD's stated mission was to "provide education to enhance Israel's image in North America and the public's understanding of issues affecting Israeli-Arab relations".[7] Later documents described its mission as "to conduct research and provide education on international terrorism and related issues".[8]

On its website, FDD describes itself as "a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy" that "conducts in-depth research, produces accurate and timely analyses, identifies illicit activities, and provides policy options – all with the aim of strengthening U.S. national security and reducing or eliminating threats posed by adversaries and enemies of the United States and other free nations."[6]

John Mearsheimer in 2007, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad in 2014, and Ofira Sekiktar in 2018 have described FDD as part of the Israel lobby in the United States.[9][10][11] Sima Vaknin-Gil, director general of Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs, had stated that the FDD works in conjunction with the Israeli government including the ministry.[12] Later documents described the mission as "to conduct research and provide education on international terrorism and related issues".[13]

On 15 November 2019, FDD officially registered as a lobby under Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.[3]

Funding

According to former U.S. ambassador Dennis Jett, FDD "offers hardly any information on where its money comes from and where it goes".[6]

2001–2004

Money contributed to the FDD during first decade of its activity, based on calculations made by Christopher Bail, expanded by 442%.[14]

In 2011, news website ThinkProgress published FDD's Form 990 documents[15] that revealed the source of FDD's funds between 2001 and 2004. Top donors included:

Other notable donors:

2008–2011

FDD's Schedule A documents filed by the end of the 2011 tax year, indicates that the organization from 2008 to 2011 was funded more than $20,000,000,[17] and the top three donors were:

2017

In 2018, AP reported that the United Arab Emirates has wired $2,500,000 to the FDD through Elliott Broidy and George Nader, to host a conference amidst Qatar diplomatic crisis about the country's role as a state-sponsor of terrorism.[18] FDD stated that it does not accept money from foreign governments, adding that "[a]s is our funding policy, we asked if his funding was connected to any foreign governments or if he had business contracts in the Gulf. He assured us that he did not".[18]

Adam Hanieh states that the FDD high-profile conference of 23 May 2017 was in line with UAE's policy at the time, which officially alleged that Qatar finances Islamist groups, adding that emails leaked shortly after show that UAE's Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba had a "cosy relationship" with the FDD, and had reviewed the remarks made by Robert Gates at the convention.[19] The leaked emails revealed a extent of a backchannel cooperation built between FDD and the UAE.[20] Qatar appeared to be in compliance with the terms of the agreement for countering terrorism and not supporting extremists from its territory according to the report published by The Washington Post in February 2021. According to documents obtained by Al Arabiya published on July 10, 2017, Qatar had agreed to stop providing support to the Muslim Brotherhood, expelled non-citizen Brothers from Qatar, and would not shelter any persons from GCC countries to avoid undermining relations with the Gulf.[21]

Others

Additionally, it is known that as of 2016, FDD has received donations from the following institutions:

Activities

The Iran Project

FDD and its CEO, Mark Dubowitz, have been sanctioned by Iran for advocating sanctions against Iran and working to end the Iranian nuclear deal.[26][27][28]

FDD's Iran Program is led by CEO Mark Dubowitz.[29][30]

In 2008, FDD founded the Iran Energy Project which "conducts extensive research on ways to deny the Iranian regime the profits of its energy sector".[31] The Wall Street Journal credited FDD with bringing "the idea of gasoline sanctions to political attention."[32] The organization pushed for sanctions against the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran and its use of Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) to perform transactions.

The Syria Project

For years, Syria has been a focus of FDD's research because of its alignment with Iran and support for organizations such as Hezbollah.[33] In 2012, as the Arab Spring spread to Syria, FDD launched "The Syria Project" to support “secular, liberal elements within the Syrian opposition and dissident communities” and “to analyze the changing situation and operational environment, and to identify the optimum policy options.”[34] In that effort, FDD facilitated a Skype call between dissidents and U.S. journalists in 2012.[35]

Long War Journal

The Long War Journal is an FDD project dedicated to reporting the "War on Terrorism" launched by the United States and its allies following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Under the direction of FDD senior fellows Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, this website covers stories about countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Iraq and follows the actions of al Qaeda and its affiliates.[36] According to the Columbia Journalism Review, "Roggio's greatest service, then, may be the way he picks up where the mainstream press leaves off, giving readers a simultaneously more specific and holistic understanding of the battlefield", but "...there have been times when Roggio has done himself a disservice by aligning with bloggers who are more about pushing a conservative agenda."[37]

When it was announced in October 2021 that President Joe Biden's top diplomat for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, was stepping down, Bill Roggio of the FDD said, "It is about time he stopped stealing money from the US government. He shoulders a large amount of the blame for shilling for the Taliban."[38]

European Foundation for Democracy

Personnel

Clifford May, FDD's founder and current president

Executives

Former staff include:

  • Nir Boms (President)[7]

Board of directors

As of 2005, members of FDD's board of directors were:

Advisors

The following people served as advisors to FDD as of 2005:

Fellows

Criticism

Arun Kundnani, adjunct professor at New York University, in a review of FDD publication Homegrown Terrorists in the US and UK argues that as a work "typical of many in its approach and conclusions", it does not provide empirical evidence for assumptions it makes and neglects contradicting data as a result of an influence by politics of the publisher and funders, and bias in favor of knowledge claims.[41]

Lawrence Wilkerson has criticized FDD for "pushing falsehood" in support of waging wars.[42]

The International Relations Center features a report on the foundation on its "Right Web" website, a program of the think tank Institute for Policy Studies[43] which, according to its mission statement, seeks to "check the militaristic drift of the country". The report states that "although the FDD is an ardent critic of terrorism, it has not criticized actions taken by Israel against Palestinians that arguably fall into this category".[44]

The left-leaning political blog ThinkProgress has criticized FDD for "alarmist rhetoric and fear mongering",[16] for example in April 2002 when they aired a 30-second television ad campaign called "Suicide Strategy" that was described by critics as "conflating" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat with the likes of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. As FDD explained it: "a militant Islamic terrorist who 'martyrs' himself by hijacking a plane and flying it into the World Trade Center"—referring to the September 11 attacks—"is no different from a militant Islamic terrorist who 'martyrs' himself by strapping explosives to his body and walking into a hotel"—i.e., Palestinian suicide attacks.

In 2017 Bari Weiss of the New York Times reported on dissent within the organization over the pro-Trump orientation it adopted following the 2016 elections, which included at least two employees leaving.[45]

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran has designated the Foundation for Defense of Democracies as a terrorist organization.[46][47]

In 2023, FDD, along with other US-based think tanks, was alleged of running a defamation campaign against the regional rivals of the UAE, including Iran, Qatar and Turkey. The organization was alleged of exploiting the Middle Eastern conflict through the media tactics and pushing the West against these countries. Along with FDD, its CEO Mark Dubowitz’s long-existing relations with the Emirates were also in question.[48] [49]

Islamophobia accusations

Christopher A. Bail, professor of sociology, public policy and data science at Duke University, describes FDD as an "anti-Muslim fringe organization" that has tried to establish itself as a legitimate authority on Islam and terrorism by tactically using "ethnic experts" —i.e. pundits with Middle Eastern background who were not Muslim— because they advocate views contrary to the mainstream perspective of the Muslim community in the United States, but look like and talk like Muslims.[50]

Sarah Marusek, research fellow at University of Johannesburg, argues that FDD is one of the "key organizations peddling Islamophobia" in a "transatlantic network".[51] Farid Hafez, researcher at Universität Salzburg, asserts the same.[52]

References

  1. ↑ "Charity Navigator - IRS Data for Foundation for Defense of Democracies". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  2. ↑ "Charity Navigator - Rating for Foundation for Defense of Democracies". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Schaffer, Aaron; Pecquet, Julian (15 November 2019), "Anti-Iran advocacy group FDD registers to lobby", Al-Monitor, archived from the original on 16 November 2019, retrieved 15 April 2020
  4. ↑ "Foundation for Defense of Democracies". onthinktanks.org. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  5. ↑ "FDD | Issues". FDD. Retrieved 2020-04-17.
  6. 1 2 3 "About FDD". FDD. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Judis, John B. (18 August 2015), "The Little Think Tank That Could: Inside the small, pro-Israel outfit leading the attack on Obama's Iran deal", Slate, archived from the original on 18 August 2015, retrieved 15 April 2020
  8. ↑ Marusek, Sarah (2017), "Inventing terrorists: the nexus of intelligence and Islamophobia" (PDF), Critical Studies on Terrorism, 11 (1): 65–87, doi:10.1080/17539153.2017.1351597, S2CID 148693782
  9. ↑ Ahmad, Muhammad Idrees. (2014). The Road to Iraq : the Making of a Neoconservative War. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. ISBN 978-0-7486-9304-7. OCLC 888747321.
  10. ↑ Mearsheimer, John J. (4 September 2007). The Israel lobby and U.S. foreign policy. Walt, Stephen M., 1955-. New York. ISBN 978-0-374-17772-0. OCLC 144227359.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  11. ↑ Seliktar, Ofira (2018). Iran, Israel, and the United States : the politics of counter-proliferation intelligence. Rezaei, Farhad. Lanham, Maryland. ISBN 978-1-4985-6975-0. OCLC 1030485498.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. ↑ "Un documentaire interdit sur le lobby pro-israélien aux États-Unis". Orient XXI (in French). 2018-11-02. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
  13. ↑ Marusek, Sarah (2018-01-02). "Inventing terrorists: the nexus of intelligence and Islamophobia" (PDF). Critical Studies on Terrorism. 11 (1): 65–87. doi:10.1080/17539153.2017.1351597. ISSN 1753-9153. S2CID 148693782.
  14. ↑ Bail, Christopher (2015), Terrified: How Anti-Muslim Fringe Organizations Became Mainstream, Princeton University Press, pp. 73–75, ISBN 978-0-691-15942-3
  15. ↑ "Form 990" (PDF). ThinkProgress. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-12-05. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Clifton, Eli (19 July 2011). "EXCLUSIVE: Documents Shed Light On Those Underwriting The Foundation For Defense Of Democracies". ThinkProgress. Archived from the original on 2014-11-06. Retrieved 2014-11-06.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Eli Clifton (2013-06-08). "Home Depot founder's quiet $10 million right-wing investment". Salon. Archived from the original on 2019-01-26. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
  18. 1 2 Butler, Desmond; LoBianco, Tom; Klapper, Bradley; Day, Chad; Lardner, Richard (26 March 2018), "Witness in Mueller probe aided UAE agenda in Congress", The Associated Press, retrieved 10 January 2020
  19. ↑ Hanieh, Adam (2018), Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East, Cambridge University Press, p. 247, ISBN 9781108429146
  20. ↑ Jilani, Zaid; Grim, Ryan (3 June 2017). "Hacked Emails Show Top UAE Diplomat Coordinating With Pro-Israel Think Tank Against Iran". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 7 October 2023.
  21. ↑ "Will Qatar's Relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood Change after Gulf Reconciliation?". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 2023-03-18.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Cronin, David; Marusek, Sarah; Miller, David (2016), The Israel Lobby and the European Union (PDF), Glasgow: Public Interest Investigations, ISBN 978-0-9570274-7-3 – via University of Bath
  23. ↑ Ali, Wajahat; Clifton, Eli; Duss, Matthew; Fang, Lee; Keyes, Scott; Shakir, Faiz (August 2011), "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America" (PDF), Center for American Progress, p. 21, archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2020
  24. ↑ "Factsheet: European Foundation for Democracy", The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University, 5 December 2019, archived from the original on 13 April 2020, retrieved 1 April 2020
  25. ↑ Kundnani, Arun (2014), "Radicalisation: The Journey of a Concept", in Baker-Beall, Christopher; Heath-Kelly, Charlotte; Jarvis, Lee (eds.), Counter-Radicalisation: Critical Perspectives, Routledge, p. 23, ISBN 978-1-317-68039-0
  26. ↑ "Iran Sanctions Former U.S. National Security Aide: Report". Bloomberg.com. 2 August 2020. Retrieved 2021-06-15.
  27. ↑ "Iran sanctions Washington-based FDD for role in intensifying 'US economic terrorism'". Mehr News Agency. 2019-08-24. Retrieved 2020-04-15.
  28. ↑ "Foreign Ministry Blacklists 'Foundation for Defence of Democracies'". Islamic Republic of Iran: Ministry of Foreign Affairs. August 24, 2019.
  29. ↑ "FDD | Mark Dubowitz". FDD. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  30. ↑ "FDD | Iran Program". FDD. Archived from the original on 2019-01-30. Retrieved 2019-01-30.
  31. ↑ "Iran - Energy". Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
  32. ↑ Editorial (2009-03-25). "Pain Iran Can Believe In". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2017-10-10. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  33. ↑ Badran, Tony. "A Syria in minor key". NOW Lebanon. Archived from the original on 2013-01-18. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  34. ↑ "The Syria Project". Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Archived from the original on 2014-11-24. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
  35. ↑ Zuka, Muhammad (February 12, 2012). "A Syrian resistance leader's plea to the world". CNN. Archived from the original on 2012-08-27. Retrieved 2013-01-31.
  36. ↑ "About". The Long War Journal. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
  37. ↑ Mcleary, Paul (March–April 2008). "Blogging the long war: Bill Roggio wants to be your source for conflict coverage". Columbia Journalism Review.
  38. ↑ Seligman, Lara (2021-10-18). "U.S. envoy for Afghanistan to step down". POLITICO. Retrieved 2021-10-19.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Zangana, Haifa (2005), "Colonial Feminists from Washington to Baghdad: Women for a Free Iraq as a case study", Al-Raida Journal, Beirut: Institute for Women's Studies in the Arab World, Lebanese American University, XXII (109–110): 30–40, doi:10.32380/alrj.v0i0.299, ISSN 0259-9953 – Open access material licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
  40. ↑ "How the Compacts of Free Association Support U.S. Interests and Counter the PRC's Influence | Indo-Pacific Task Force | House Committee on Natural Resources". naturalresources.house.gov. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  41. ↑ Kundnani, Arun (2014), "Radicalisation: The Journey of a Concept", in Baker-Beall, Christopher; Heath-Kelly, Charlotte; Jarvis, Lee (eds.), Counter-Radicalisation: Critical Perspectives, Routledge, pp. 21–23, ISBN 9781317680390
  42. ↑ Wilkerson, Lawrence (5 February 2018), "I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It's Happening Again", The New York Times, archived from the original on 5 February 2018, retrieved 15 April 2020
  43. ↑ "About Right Web". RightWeb. Archived from the original on 2013-01-21. Retrieved 2013-01-29.
  44. ↑ "Foundation for Defense of Democracies - Profile - Right Web - Institute for Policy Studies". Rightweb.irc-online.org. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
  45. ↑ Weiss, Bari (November 2, 2017). "The Trump Debate Inside Conservative Citadels". The New York Times. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  46. ↑ IFP Editorial Staff (24 August 2019). "Iran Blacklists Foundation for Defence of Democracies". Iran Front Page. IFP News. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  47. ↑ "Foreign Ministry Blacklists 'Foundation for Defence of Democracies'". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iran). Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  48. ↑ "US Institutes Achieve Abu Dhabi Motives". La Weekly. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  49. ↑ Jilani, Zaid; Grim, Ryan (3 June 2017). "Hacked Emails Show Top UAE Diplomat Coordinating With Pro-Israel Think Tank Against Iran". The Intercept. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  50. ↑ Bail, Christopher (2015), Terrified: How Anti-Muslim Fringe Organizations Became Mainstream, Princeton University Press, pp. 70–71, ISBN 978-0-691-15942-3
  51. ↑ Marusek, Sarah (2017), "The Transatlantic Network: Funding Islamophobia and Israeli Settlements", in Massoumi, Narzanin; Mills, Tom; Miller, David (eds.), What is Islamophobia?, Pluto Press, pp. 189–206, ISBN 978-1-7868-0068-8
  52. ↑ Hafez, Farid (2019), "Muslim Civil Society Under Attack: The European Foundation for Democracy's Role in Defaming and Delegitimizing Muslim Civil Society", in Esposito, John L.; Iner, Derya (eds.), Islamophobia and Radicalization: Breeding Intolerance and Violence, Springer, pp. 119–120, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-95237-6_7, ISBN 978-3-319-95237-6, S2CID 158797596
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