The proposed policy change should prevent USAID from implementing certain destabilization programs in countries that would normally reject its aid. Especially those where the agency would have to go to "excessive lengths to protect program beneficiaries and participants."

While the destabilization activities will not be carried out by USAID, the US government will continue to fund such projects through the State Department and the National Endowment for Democracy, another body renowned for its interventions in Latin American democracies.

USAID, which claims on its website that its aim is “furthering America's interests, while improving lives in the developing world,” was condemned this year for its attempt to set up a “Cuban Twitter” in order to provoke dissent against the communist government there.

USAID's latest statement, released Sunday, claims it will continue to undertake programs in "politically restrictive environments," but with more transparency and with the safety of its volunteers at the forefront.

"We will also examine risks that might constrain effective implementation of the projects or undermine the safety of our partners, such as programmatic, legal, financial, physical and digital security-related risks," the statement said.

As early as 2009, the agency planted young people from Venezuela, Costa Rica and Peru in Cuba to agitate and undermine Raul Castro's administration, under other pretexts, such as health promotion workshops.

USAID hid its involvement in these Cuban schemes, according to a report earlier this year, creating a subterfuge with a front company, with funds diverted from the Cayman islands.

Josefina Vidal, Cuba's chief foreign ministry official for U.S. relations, demanded the immediate halt to the actions in a statement in August, when reports first surfaced of the Twitter-like project, known as ZunZuneo.

"These facts confirm that the U.S. government has not ceased its hostile and interventionist plans against Cuba," Vidal said. "The U.S. government should end once and for all its subversive, illegal and undercover actions against Cuba, which violate our sovereignty and the will expressed by the Cuban people to perfect our economic and social model."

USAID has also been criticized for other high-profile activities to undermine democratically elected governments.

Its infamous Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) in Venezuela, part of efforts to undermine the Chavez government, was forced to close in 2011 after being exposed for violations of Venezuelan law. Obama Administration’s Foreign Operations Budgets continued to provide millions to fund opposition groups in Venezuela through USAID, journalist Eva Gollinger found.

In Ecuador, the United States' top governmental aid agency closed its doors in October, after years of controversy surrounding its operations there.

In September, whistle-blowing website Wikileaks revealed that USAID funded and assisted Hong Kong protest movement Occupy central.

Original Article by  USAID Claims it Will Halt Destabilization Programs www.telesurtv.net

Callaghan's home is in Loveland and he spoke to 9NEWS on Sunday via Skype from Monrovia, the capital of Liberia. He's been stationed there for the past seven weeks, as that country deals with Ebola.

"It's a situation where Ebola, for the first time, is in urban settings, which creates a lot of problems," he said.

Part of the problem is that people live in close quarters, making it easier for the virus to spread. Callaghan said efforts to contain Ebola require not just more medical assistance, but a changing of human behavior. It's a different kind of disaster than others Callaghan has been involved in, including the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti in 2010.

"It is very different form Haiti because this is a virus that's spreading and you have to take a lot of issues around infection control: washing your hands, protecting yourself, not touching dead bodies," he said.

Nearly two months into his assignment in Liberia, Callaghan sees progress, but said there is still a long way to go.

"This is a difficult time. I know the people in Colorado are wonderful folks who have gone through their own emergencies over the last couple of years, from forest fires to floods—and this is a tough situation here," Callaghan said. "And I ask people to remember and think of the folks here and the many people who have suffered and died."

At this point, Callaghan has no idea when he'll be able to come back home to Colorado. He said he is looking forward to seeing the mountains again and having some quiet downtime.

Original Article found Channel 9 News Colorado