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Behind the hundreds of associations that have sprung up in Lebanon in recent years, the name of George Soros often comes up. Since 2019, the American billionaire of Hungarian descent has been focusing his efforts on the region. And, more particularly in Lebanon. Where does this interest originate from and what are these organizations funded by Open Society, George Soros’s foundation?
Counter-revolutions are organized by the supporters of an old establishment to keep the revolutions that overthrew them in check, as was the case after the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution.
George Soros had the “genius” to come up with a “preventive counter-revolution.” Having a social network of NGOs operating in various fields and sectors of society, he was able to anticipate future protests and steer them in a direction favorable to his views and interests. He also succeeded in attracting a significant number of intellectuals, researchers, and experts thanks to his “generosity”. Furthermore, NGOs that have embraced his agenda have been able to recycle the concepts and elements of the revolutionary discourse and pose them as mouthpieces for popular demands. In other words, popular majorities deprived of a political organization capable of leading their fight and exposing their struggles have seen their revolutions confiscated.
In 2019, George Soros concentrated his activities in Lebanon, significantly increasing the monetary threshold for funding NGOs present on Lebanese territory. According to a source, the sum of 3,618,000 dollars was transferred to Lebanon by his foundation, Open Society. In 2020, the October Revolution was at its peak. That year, the Soros Foundation’s funding officially reached 4.3 million dollars; while other sources claim that the sum amounted to 6,655,000 dollars. An investment that was “reduced” to approximately 2.6 million dollars in 2021. Therefore, the total for the last three years would vary between 10,518,000 and 12,873,000 dollars. But who are the main beneficiaries?
It is relevant to highlight that 9% of the funding used by Open Society in Lebanon is allocated to the media and the press, 5% to justice-related issues, and 7% to human rights advocacy movements and associations. What is left is spent in various fields, such as culture and arts (7%), higher education (5%), economy (17%), equality and fight against discrimination (17%), health (10%), childhood and the right to education (8%).
Legal Agenda, the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE)**, Daraj media, the American University of Beirut (AUB), the Helem (Dream) Association for the Rights of Homosexuals in Lebanon, CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere) and Basmeh & Zeitooneh (for the rights of refugees, including Syrians in Lebanon), Kulluna Irada* (which militates for another kind of governance since the popular uprising of October 17, 2019), The Public Source and Megaphone… The list of Soros Agents, who benefit from Open Society’s financial aid is long. The Arab League is also in Soros’s line of vision. A leaked report on the strategy of the Foundation’s regional office for 2014-2017 states the following: “We are willing to bet that we can reclaim the regional body, the League of Arab States, as an advocacy platform, thanks to joint efforts with our allies.”
Legal Agenda or a Conditioned Freedom
The extent of the investment that George Soros has placed in Legal Agenda through his foundation Open Society is no secret. As a reminder, the director of this specific Lebanese NGO, Nizar Saghiyeh, was recently summoned by the President of the Lebanese Bar Association for having strongly criticized, on social networks and in the press, a decision taken on March 3 by the Council of the Bar Association. This decision forbade any member of the Bar to make media appearances without prior authorization from the President.
Since 2011, Legal Agenda has received considerable funding from Open Society. “Funds that have been used, in part, by Nizar Saghieh, the man who considers himself an independent activist, to finance his media appearances, which have been mostly in line with the politics advocated by George Soros,” confided a knowledgeable source. Faced with many challenges in governance and transparency, it is thus appropriate to question the extent to which Soros’ funding of NGOs and the media contributes to the destabilization of institutions.
In 1988, George Soros was found guilty of insider trading by a French court and was fined $2.25 million for a deal he made the same year with the French bank, Société Générale. It should be remembered that this “benefactor” was behind the “Black Wednesday” of 1992 in Great Britain. During that infamous year, the British pound collapsed, as three hundred traders, including George Soros, had taken a short position (in other words, had anticipated a fall in prices) on the pound, which led to a depreciation of the currency. Soros would have accumulated, on September 16, 1992, a billion dollars. He has ever since then been called “the man who blew up the Bank of England”. In 2009, the PSzAF, the Hungarian financial market regulator, fined Soros Fund Management $2.2 million for attempting to manipulate the shares of Hungary’s largest bank. In 2017, Hungary and Israel condemned Soros for using foreign money to influence immigration policies in Europe through Open Society.
What is clear regarding Lebanon is that George Soros foresaw the brewing uprising against the dominant order and planned a takeover bid for political, economic, and financial gain. Thus, special attention should be paid to the organization of the Lebanese state’s default on its debt in March 2020, which accelerated and amplified the country’s economic and financial collapse.
In any case, the goal is not to defend the governance that was in place before October 17, 2019, but to legitimately ask what alternatives are being proposed to that governance. From Soros’ point of view, the objective was clearly to replace the old agents of capital, as per Karl Marx’s formula, with new agents who would be more flexible to the suggestions of the generous donor. In sum, a replay of revolutions in the Lebanese context, to carry out a real “preventive counter-revolution”, which George Soros has successfully implemented in various other countries.
* Right of Reply
“Kulluna Irada” Association responded to an article titled “George Soros or the ‘Preventive Counter-Revolution'”, published on This is Beirut website on May 15, 2023. The association refutes the unfounded information presented in the article and clarifies that it relies solely on funding from its members, all of whom are Lebanese citizens residing either in Lebanon or abroad. Kulluna Irada emphasizes that it does not accept any foreign funding or contributions from corporations, in accordance with its bylaws. It also points out that it has led the way in transparency by making public the financial details related to the support it offered to reformative electoral lists during the 2022 legislative elections. The association regrets that the author did not reach out for comment on its funding structure.
This is Beirut has taken note of Kulluna Irada’s request for a right of reply and has published it on its website. That being said, we invite the association, for the sake of the transparency it prides itself on, to publish the list of its donors, the sums paid by these individuals or legal entities as well as the balance sheet of Kulluna Irada. We will be the first to publish it.
** Right of Reply
Your website, “This is Beirut”, published on May 15 an article highlighting the funding of the Open Society Foundation for a number of civil society organizations, with a representative image featuring the Lebanese Association for Democracy and Elections (LADE) in the article’s visual.
While expressing its reservations and indignation about the content of the article and the inciting language used against associations, LADE would like to clearly and thoroughly deny any hint or confirmation that it has received any funding from the said institution.
LADE reminds all those interested in this issue that it is transparent about its sources of funding, which are published on its website and can be consulted by those who wish to do so.
While confirming the right of associations, in general, to receive funding for their projects within the framework of the legal provisions in force, LADE insists on its full transparency in this context.
The association also regrets the content of the article, in particular the fact that no contact was established with it, neither by the author nor by the management of the site concerned.
And in accordance with the right of reply, the association requests the publication of this clarification on your pages, just as the complaint article was published.