Throwing out the Daily NK baby with the USAID/NED bathwater?

Daily NK’s reporting is difficult to dismiss even if it follows a script - researchers and analysts can read between the lines.

ATTENTION! IN SEVERAL INSTANCES THIS PIECE MISTAKENLY USED “NK NEWS” INSTEAD OF “DAILY NK”. THE TWO ARE VERY DIFFERENT. NK NEWS DOES NOT RECEIVE NED FUNDING AND IS A HIGHLY REPUTABLE AND RESPECTED SOURCE OF INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS ON KOREAN AFFAIRS. THIS PIECE WAS CORRECTED ON 25 FEBRUARY.

No doubt, you’ve heard Mike Benz on any number of podcasts or talk shows over the last few months. If you haven’t, listen to him here on Joe Rogan’s Podcast. Benz is very well known for seeking to expose what he sees as a troubling reality about U.S. foreign policy. According to Benz, USAID, often presented as a force for humanitarian aid and development, functions as a strategic instrument for shaping foreign governments, influencing media, and engineering political outcomes.

USAID is not just about providing food assistance or infrastructure projects but about funding opposition groups, controlling narratives, and ensuring compliance with U.S. interests - and recently it has even been used to push …