America’s Hidden Hand in Nepal: How NGOs Became Tools of Political Manipulation

Nepal, the tiny Himalayan nation caught between two Asian giants—India and China—has once again found itself at the crossroads of global power politics. But this time, the evidence is damning and undeniable. Internal documents in GoaChronicle possession expose a covert multi-year campaign spearheaded by two U.S – based organizations: the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

These are not fringe players. IRI, closely linked to the Republican Party in Washington, and NED, a notorious facade for U.S. geopolitical operations worldwide, have been working systematically to infiltrate, manipulate, and weaponize Nepal’s youth movements. What appears on the surface as “support for democracy” is in reality a meticulously orchestrated plan to destabilize Nepal’s political order.

Nepal has recently witnessed regime change—an upheaval that has shaken its political foundations. The documents point to the unmistakable role of American NGOs in quietly engineering this shift. And once again, the familiar question emerges: is democracy just a convenient slogan for the United States, or is it the camouflage for an imperialist playbook?

The Common Thread: Bangladesh and Nepal

This is not an isolated case. The same playbook is visible across South Asia. From the street protests in Bangladesh to the youth agitations in Nepal, the common thread is unmistakable: the involvement of America’s Deep State covert arm, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

In Bangladesh, we have seen how anti-government movements suddenly found themselves flush with resources, international attention, and carefully cultivated youth leadership. In Nepal, the story is even clearer. The documents reveal a specific project—funded, designed, and deployed by NED through IRI—to capture Nepal’s youth politics and weaponize it against the establishment.

Yuva Netritwa: Paradarshi Niti — The Trojan Project

The project has a name: Yuva Netritwa: Paradeshi Niti (Youth Leadership:Transparency Policy).

This was not an innocuous civic training initiative. It was funded directly by NED through IRI under Project No: 2020-0010AAA, with USD 350,000 set aside for its operations. The project kicked off in 2021—timed perfectly with the rising political instability in Nepal.

Here is the core objective of the program, in NED’s own words:

“To strengthen youth political and civic participation as champions for democratic change, the International Republican Institute (IRI) will provide emerging leaders with increased opportunities to build momentum for youth activism and put pressure on Nepali political decision-makers to become more transparent, accountable, and citizen-centered in their decisions.”

On paper, it sounds noble. In practice, it is pure political manipulation. Notice the careful language: champions for democratic change, build momentum for youth activism, put pressure on decision-makers. Strip away the jargon, and the objective is clear—mobilize the youth to destabilize the political establishment and create conditions ripe for regime change.

Nepal’s Own Political Dysfunction

Nepal’s biggest political vulnerability lies not just in foreign meddling but in its own deeply flawed political architecture. The country’s political institutions, dominated by centralized, top-down party structures, have created a system where accountability is almost nonexistent. Politicians operate through backdoor deals, patronage, and power-sharing arrangements rather than genuine public mandates. Over the past two years, this dysfunction has been glaring: the rivalry between KP Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal split the ruling Nepali Communist Party, leaving the government paralyzed during the COVID-19 pandemic and unable to tackle worsening economic conditions. Even when Sher Bahadur Deuba cobbled together a coalition, petty squabbles over cabinet allocations crippled governance, exposing Nepal’s institutions as self-serving rather than citizen-centric.

It is precisely this vacuum of accountability that makes Nepal fertile ground for foreign interference. When domestic structures fail to respond to public needs, external actors—whether India, China, or more covertly, the United States—find it easier to step in, manipulate, and redirect the country’s trajectory for their own strategic aims. Corruption and centralized power become the entry points, leaving Nepalese citizens increasingly disillusioned with their leaders. In such an environment, it is no surprise that American-backed NGOs like the International Republican Institute and NED step in under the guise of “empowering youth” or “strengthening democracy,” when in reality they are exploiting governance failures to insert foreign influence into the heart of Nepal’s political process.

Yet, amid this dysfunction, Nepal’s youth have shown sparks of democratic resilience. Movements like “Enough is Enough,” led by non-political youth frustrated with the government’s disastrous handling of the COVID-19 crisis, demonstrated that citizen-led pressure can force the state to respond—even extracting commitments for free healthcare services. But here again lies the danger: instead of allowing this organic, grassroots energy to evolve naturally, projects like Yuva Netritwa: Paradarshi Niti, funded by NED and executed by IRI, hijack these sentiments. Through initiatives like the Emerging Leaders Academy, foreign actors are shaping young activists into vehicles for Washington’s agenda—teaching them how to apply pressure not in pursuit of Nepal’s independent democratic consolidation, but in ways that align with U.S. foreign policy interests in South Asia.

The Trojan Horse of “Democracy Promotion”

To the unsuspecting observer, NGOs like IRI and NED sell themselves as noble champions of democracy, freedom, and civil society. Their funding pipelines, flashy workshops, and polished reports portray them as benevolent partners in nation-building.

But those who have studied their operations know the truth. NED was set up in the 1980s precisely because the CIA needed a more palatable front for its covert operations. The organization’s first president, Allen Weinstein, admitted as much when he bluntly declared: “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA.”

Nepal is a textbook case. What looks like youth empowerment is in fact political engineering. The target is not corruption or inefficiency, but the very structure of Nepal’s political order.

Nepal: A Pawn in the Great Game

Why Nepal? Why would Washington invest years of effort into manipulating political movements in this small nation?

The answer lies in geography and strategy. Nepal sits at the heart of South Asia, bordering both India and China. Its location is priceless for any global power seeking leverage in the region. For India, Nepal has historically been a close ally—linked through culture, trade, and security cooperation. For China, Nepal is an important buffer state that must be kept out of Western influence.

Enter the United States. By infiltrating Nepal’s political ecosystem, Washington gains a foothold in a region where India has traditionally held sway. Weakening Nepal’s political stability also indirectly complicates India’s strategic environment. This is not about helping Nepalese democracy—it is about shifting the balance of power in South Asia.

The regime change in Nepal, now revealed to have the fingerprints of IRI and NED all over it, is not just a domestic affair. It is a signal to both India and China: America is in the game, and it will play dirty.

For India, this development should set off alarm bells. Delhi has always prided itself on its special relationship with Nepal. But that relationship is now being undermined in plain sight.

By supporting anti-establishment youth movements, the U.S. has successfully created a new political class in Nepal—one that is not organically connected to India but to Washington’s networks. This is a dangerous shift.

India has two choices. It can either dismiss these revelations as “business as usual” in geopolitics, or it can confront the uncomfortable truth: American NGOs are no longer just operating on the fringes—they are actively re-engineering political systems in India’s backyard.

The Playbook of Interference

What stands out in the Nepal documents is not just the funding but the methodology.

1. Youth Capture: Focus on mobilizing disillusioned youth, packaging activism as modern and progressive while framing traditional political structures as outdated and oppressive.
2. Leadership Grooming: Identifying ambitious young leaders and offering them international exposure, training, and funding pipelines that tie them to Washington’s networks.
3. Narrative Engineering: Crafting narratives around democracy, freedom, and rights—but carefully steering them toward anti-establishment anger.
4. Crisis Exploitation: Waiting for political instability, then amplifying dissent to trigger regime collapse.

This is the same script played out in multiple regions. Nepal is simply the latest chapter.

The Hypocrisy of U.S. Foreign Policy

What makes this story even more striking is the hypocrisy at its core. The United States constantly lectures the world about respecting sovereignty and non-interference. Yet, here is clear evidence of Washington-backed NGOs meddling in Nepal’s internal affairs.

If Russia or China were caught funding and manipulating youth movements in another country, Washington would erupt with outrage, sanctions, and threats. But when America does it, the language changes—it becomes “democracy promotion.”

The Nepal case is not an isolated incident. It is a warning for the entire region. South Asian democracies are particularly vulnerable to manipulation because of their youthful populations, fragile institutions, and the allure of Western “support.”

India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and even Bhutan must take note. If Washington can destabilize Nepal, it can attempt the same elsewhere. Stronger regional cooperation, intelligence sharing, and diplomatic vigilance are essential.

The Empire’s New Clothes

The revelations about IRI and NED in Nepal are not just about one country’s internal politics. They are about the larger reality of how global power operates in the 21st century. The empire no longer sends in Marines or CIA coups—it sends in NGOs with grant money and glossy brochures.

But the result is the same: destabilization, regime change, and a political order bent to America’s interests.

Nepal is the latest victim of this playbook. Bangladesh is already in the crosshairs. Whether the region learns the lesson or allows history to repeat itself remains to be seen.

What is clear is this: beneath the rhetoric of democracy lies the same old game of domination. And the sooner South Asia recognizes this, the better it can protect its sovereignty.