--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The National Endowment for Democracy, an…" description: "\"“The National Endowment for Democracy, an agency created by the Reagan administration in 1983 to promote political action and psychological warfare aga..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/william-blum-24558_change_the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an_2516295.png" --- # The National Endowment for Democracy, an agency created by… ![“The National Endowment for Democracy, an agency created by the Reagan administration in 1983 to promote political action and psychological warfare against states not in love with US foreign policy, is Washington’s foremost non-military tool for effecting regime change.” quote by William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/william-blum-24558_change_the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an_2516295.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/william-blum-24558_change_the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an_2516295.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/william-blum-24558_change_the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an_2516295.png) > ““The National Endowment for Democracy, an agency created by the Reagan administration in 1983 to promote political action and psychological warfare against states not in love with US foreign policy, is Washington’s foremost non-military tool for effecting regime change.”” [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The U.S. uses covert political influence as a primary tool for regime change, rather than military force. **In simple terms:** US prefers political pressure over military action. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden political manipulation. Themes political influence covert operations regime change foreign policy propaganda Mood critical skeptical Type analytical explanatory When to use this quote - journalism - policy analysis - activism - academic study Key Concepts soft power psychological warfare statecraft Questions to Reflect On - How do covert actions affect long‑term stability? - What ethical lines are crossed? A Different Perspective Such tactics can undermine sovereignty and provoke backlash. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Psychological warfare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological-warfare/) [Regime change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regime-change/) ## Related quotes > [“The governmental tortoise cannot keep up with the technological hare. It is overwhelmed by data. The NSA may be spying on our every word,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/the-governmental-tortoise-cannot-keep-up-with-the-technological-hare/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [The key is whether or not we have got priorities that are working for you, as opposed to those who have been dictating the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-key-is-whether-or-not-we-have-got-priorities-that-are-working-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The National Endowment for the Arts distributes money to all 50 states, and they try to do their best to distribute to rural and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/the-national-endowment-for-the-arts-distributes-money-to-all-50/) [Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/) > [This funding from the National Endowment for the Arts has been like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-dicks/this-funding-from-the-national-endowment-for-the-arts-has-been-like/) [Norm Dicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-dicks/) > [That's the reason support for the National Endowment of the Arts is so important. It enables those ventures that aren't viable commercially to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-selby/that-s-the-reason-support-for-the-national-endowment-of-the-arts-is/) [David Selby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-selby/) > [Mr. Chairman, obviously a $60 million cut in the National Endowment for the Arts would be a disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-dicks/mr-chairman-obviously-a-60-million-cut-in-the-national-endowment-for/) [Norm Dicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-dicks/) > [The National Endowment of the Humanities is the reason we have in northern Nevada every January a cowboy poetry festival. Had that program not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-reid/the-national-endowment-of-the-humanities-is-the-reason-we-have-in/) [Harry Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-reid/) > [“Is any of it real? I mean look at this. Look at it! A world built on fantasy. 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Duiker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-duiker/) > [The GRU is used for both tactical intelligence collection in the battlefield in support of Russian military operations and also strategic active measures or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dmitri-alperovitch/the-gru-is-used-for-both-tactical-intelligence-collection-in-the/) [Dmitri Alperovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dmitri-alperovitch/) > [There was no point in seeking to convert the intellectuals. For intellectuals would never be converted and would anyway always yield to the stronger,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/there-was-no-point-in-seeking-to-convert-the-intellectuals-for/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [We have no right ever to forget that psychological warfare is a struggle for winning people's minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/we-have-no-right-ever-to-forget-that-psychological-warfare-is-a/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasser-arafat/we-plan-to-eliminate-the-state-of-israel-and-establish-a-purely/) [Yasser Arafat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasser-arafat/) ## More by William Blum > [The Soviet Union and something called communism per se had not been the object of Washington's global attacks. There had never been an International…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-soviet-union-and-something-called-communism-per-se-had-not-been/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [Terror is the poor man's war, war is the rich man's terror. Ultimately, all wars will end either in annihilation or at the negotiating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/terror-is-the-poor-man-s-war-war-is-the-rich-man-s-terror-ultimately/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [America's state religion, is patriotism, a phenomenon which has convinced many of the citizenry that 'treason' is morally worse than murder or rape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/america-s-state-religion-is-patriotism-a-phenomenon-which-has/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [The "trickle-down" theory: the principle that the poor, who must subsist on table scraps dropped by the rich, can best be served by giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-trickle-down-theory-the-principle-that-the-poor-who-must-subsist/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [A terrorist is someone who has a bomb, but doesn't have an air force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/a-terrorist-is-someone-who-has-a-bomb-but-doesn-t-have-an-air-force/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [From 1945 to 2003, the United States attempted to overthrow more than 40 foreign governments, and to crush more than 30 populist-nationalist movements fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/from-1945-to-2003-the-united-states-attempted-to-overthrow-more-than/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [What our leaders and pundits never let slip is that the terrorists-whatever else they might be-might also be rational human beings ; which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/what-our-leaders-and-pundits-never-let-slip-is-that-the-terrorists/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [Do you remember the classic example of chutzpah? It's the young man who kills his parents and then asks the judge for mercy on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/do-you-remember-the-classic-example-of-chutzpah-it-s-the-young-man/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [If love is blind, patriotism has lost all five senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/if-love-is-blind-patriotism-has-lost-all-five-senses/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [Propaganda is to a democracy what violence is to a dictatorship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/propaganda-is-to-a-democracy-what-violence-is-to-a-dictatorship/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [The de facto censorship which leaves so many Americans functionally illiterate about the history of US foreign affairs may be all the more effective…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-de-facto-censorship-which-leaves-so-many-americans-functionally/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [“The Empire would love to rip Ukraine from Moscow’s bosom, evict the Russian Black Sea Fleet, and establish a US military and/or NATO presence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-empire-would-love-to-rip-ukraine-from-moscow-s-bosom-evict-the/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [Why don't church leaders forbid Catholics from joining the military with the same fervor they tell Catholics to stay away from abortion clinics?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/why-don-t-church-leaders-forbid-catholics-from-joining-the-military/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [The leaders of the empire, the imperial mafia-George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Cheney, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, et al.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-leaders-of-the-empire-the-imperial-mafia-george-w-bush-donald/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) > [“to the American power elite one of the longest lasting and most essential foreign policy goals has been preventing the rise of any society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/to-the-american-power-elite-one-of-the-longest-lasting-and-most/) [William Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) [Explore all 24 William Blum quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The National Endowment for Democracy, an agency created by the Reagan administration in 1983 to promote political action and psychological warfare against states not in love with US foreign policy, is Washington’s foremost non-military tool for effecting regime change.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Blum" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an-agency-created-by-the-reagan/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Change" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an-agency-created-by-the-reagan/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/william-blum-24558_change_the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an_2516295.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/william-blum-24558_change_the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an_2516295.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/50f/william-blum-24558_change_the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an_2516295.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The National Endowment for Democracy, an agency created by the Reagan administration in 1983 to promote…” — William Blum", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "William Blum", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blum/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The National Endowment for Democracy, an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an-agency-created-by-the-reagan/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blum/the-national-endowment-for-democracy-an-agency-created-by-the-reagan/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```