Foundation for Defense of Democracies

History and mission

FDD was founded in 2001 as "Emet"—Hebrew for "Truth". In the initial documents filed for tax-exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service, FDD's stated mission was to "provide education to enhance Israel's image in North America and the public's understanding of issues affecting Israeli-Arab relations". Its mission broadened after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Later documents described its mission as "to conduct research and provide education on international terrorism and related issues".

On its website, FDD describes itself as "a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy" that "conducts in-depth research, produces accurate and timely analyses, identifies illicit activities, and provides policy options – all with the aim of strengthening U.S. national security and reducing or eliminating threats posed by adversaries and enemies of the United States and other free nations."

John Mearsheimer in 2007, Muhammad Idrees Ahmad in 2014, and Ofira Sekiktar in 2018 have described FDD as part of the Israel lobby in the United States. Sima Vaknin-Gil, director general of Israel's Ministry of Strategic Affairs, had stated that the FDD works in conjunction with the Israeli government including the ministry.

FDD opposed the nuclear agreement with Iran during the Barack Obama administration. It advised the first Donald Trump administration on ways to subvert Iran. Iran announced sanctions against FDD and its CEO in 2019. According to a 2019 article in The Atlantic, "no place else has made an institutional specialty of recommending hard-line Iran policies and offering detailed proposals for how to implement them the way the FDD has done".

Activities

Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation

The Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) conducts research and analysis to address cybersecurity threats to U.S. government, private sector, and allied nations while supporting technology innovation. The center analyzes adversaries' strategies and develops technological, governance, and policy responses. CCTI houses CSC 2.0, the successor organization to the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.

China Program

The FDD's China Program is a research initiative focused on analyzing and responding to the economic, technological, and security-related activities of the Chinese Communist Party and the potential threat they pose to US national security. The program draws on expertise across economic, military, technological, cyber, and political domains. The China Program is chaired by Matt Pottinger, who served as the Deputy National Security Advisor from 2019 to 2021.

In June 2023, a delegation from FDD joined by Israeli experts visited Taiwan and met with President Tsai Ing-wen. The delegation discussed mutual threats and asymmetric warfare strategies. In 2024, members of the China Program held a tabletop exercise in Taipei to examine China's economic and cyber-coercion against Taiwan.

The Iran Project

FDD's Iran Program is led by CEO Mark Dubowitz. Dubowitz and the FDD have been sanctioned by Iran for advocating sanctions against Iran and working to end the Iranian nuclear deal.

In 2008, FDD founded the Iran Energy Project which "conducts extensive research on ways to deny the Iranian regime the profits of its energy sector". The Wall Street Journal credited FDD with bringing "the idea of gasoline sanctions to political attention."

The Syria Project

For years, Syria has been a focus of FDD's research because of its alignment with Iran and support for organizations such as Hezbollah. In 2012, as the Arab Spring spread to Syria, FDD launched "The Syria Project" to support "secular, liberal elements within the Syrian opposition and dissident communities" and "to analyze the changing situation and operational environment, and to identify the optimum policy options." In that effort, FDD facilitated a Skype call between dissidents and U.S. journalists in 2012.

Turkey Program

The FDD's Turkey Program is a research initiative, that conducts research on Turkey's domestic politics, foreign policy, and their implications for US national security – with particular attention to developments under the Justice and Development Party (AKP). The program examines areas including democratic governance, minority rights, religious freedom, sanctions enforcement and illicit finance.

''Long War Journal''

The Long War Journal is an FDD project dedicated to reporting the "war on terrorism" launched by the United States and its allies following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001. Under the direction of FDD senior fellows Bill Roggio and Thomas Joscelyn, this website covers stories about countries such as Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Iraq and follows the actions of al Qaeda and its affiliates. According to the Columbia Journalism Review, "Roggio's greatest service, then, may be the way he picks up where the mainstream press leaves off, giving readers a simultaneously more specific and holistic understanding of the battlefield", but "...there have been times when Roggio has done himself a disservice by aligning with bloggers who are more about pushing a conservative agenda."

When it was announced in October 2021 that President Joe Biden's top diplomat for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, was stepping down, Bill Roggio of the FDD said, "It is about time he stopped stealing money from the US government. He shoulders a large amount of the blame for shilling for the Taliban."

Funding

2001–2004

In 2011, news website ThinkProgress published FDD's Form 990 documents that revealed the source of FDD's funds between 2001 and 2004. Top donors included:

• Roland Arnall: $1,802,000
• Edgar M. and Charles Bronfman: $1,050,000
• Michael Steinhardt: $850,000
• Abramson Family Foundation (of Leonard Abramson): $822,523
• Bernard Marcus: $600,000
• Lewis Ranieri: $350,000 Other notable donors:
• Haim Saban
• Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi
• Douglas J. Feith

2008–2011

FDD's Schedule A documents filed by the end of the 2011 tax year, indicates that the organization from 2008 to 2011 received more than $20,000,000 in contributions and the top three donors were:

• Bernard Marcus: $10,745,000
• Paul Singer: $3,600,000
• Sheldon Adelson: $1,510,059

2017

In 2018, the Associated Press reported that the United Arab Emirates had wired $2.5 million to the FDD through a company in Canada and George Nader to host a conference amidst Qatar diplomatic crisis about the country's role as a state-sponsor of terrorism. FDD stated that it does not accept money from foreign governments, adding that "[a]s is our funding policy, we asked if his funding was connected to any foreign governments or if he had business contracts in the Gulf. He assured us that he did not".

Adam Hanieh states that the FDD high-profile conference of May 23, 2017, was in line with UAE's policy at the time, which officially alleged that Qatar finances Islamist groups, adding that emails leaked shortly after show that UAE's Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba had a "cosy relationship" with the FDD, and had reviewed the remarks made by Robert Gates at the convention. The leaked emails revealed a extent of a backchannel cooperation built between FDD and the UAE. Qatar appeared to be in compliance with the terms of the agreement for countering terrorism and not supporting extremists from its territory according to the report published by The Washington Post in February 2021. According to documents obtained by Al Arabiya published on July 10, 2017, Qatar had agreed to stop providing support to the Muslim Brotherhood, expelled non-citizen Brothers from Qatar, and would not shelter any persons from GCC countries to avoid undermining relations with the Persian Gulf.

Others

Additionally, as of 2016, FDD had received donations from the following institutions:

• Abstraction Fund
• Hertog Foundation
• Jacobson Family Foundation
• Klarman Family Foundation
• Koret Foundation
• Milstein Family Foundation
• Nathan Seter Foundation
• Newton and Rochelle Becker Charitable Trust
• Snider Foundation
• Hochberg Family Foundation
• Marcus Foundation
• Bodman Foundation
• Emerson Family Foundation
• Eris & Larry Field Family Foundation
• Rita & Irwin Hochberg Family Foundation
• Anchorage Charitable Fund
• William Rosenwald Family Fund
• Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation

Personnel

Executives

• Clifford May, founder and president
• Mark Dubowitz, CEO
• Bill McCarthy, COO
• Jonathan Schanzer, executive director

Fellows

• Jonathan Conricus
• Amir Eshel
• Bonnie Glick
• Olli Heinonen
• Orde Kittrie
• Michael Ledeen
• Emanuele Ottolenghi
• Cleo Paskal
• Walid Phares

Reception

The American political blog ThinkProgress criticized FDD for what it called "alarmist rhetoric and fear mongering", for example in April 2002 when they aired a 30-second television ad campaign called "Suicide Strategy" that was described by some critics as "conflating" Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat with the likes of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. As FDD explained it: "a militant Islamic terrorist who 'martyrs' himself by hijacking a plane and flying it into the World Trade Center"—referring to the September 11 attacks—"is no different from a militant Islamic terrorist who 'martyrs' himself by strapping explosives to his body and walking into a hotel"—i.e., Palestinian suicide attacks.

In 2017, journalist Bari Weiss of The New York Times reported on dissent within the organization over the pro-Trump orientation it adopted following the 2016 elections, which included at least two employees leaving.

In 2018, Lawrence Wilkerson, said the FDD was "pushing falsehood" in support of waging wars. In 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran designated the Foundation for Defense of Democracies a terrorist organization. Farid Hafez, researcher at Universität Salzburg, wrote in 2019 that FDD was one of the key organizations peddling Islamophobia in a transatlantic network.

The International Relations Center features a report on the foundation on its "Right Web" website, a program of the think tank Institute for Policy Studies which, according to its mission statement, seeks to "check the militaristic drift of the country". The report states that "although the FDD is an ardent critic of terrorism, it has not criticized actions taken by Israel against Palestinians that arguably fall into this category".

In 2023, The Intercept and LA Weekly alleged that FDD, along with other US-based think tanks, were coordinating a pressure campaign against the regional rivals of the UAE, including Iran, Qatar, and Turkey.

Christopher A. Bail, professor of sociology, public policy and data science at Duke University, describes FDD as an "anti-Muslim fringe organization" that has tried to establish itself as a legitimate authority on Islam and terrorism by tactically using "ethnic experts" —i.e. pundits with Middle Eastern background who were not Muslim— because they advocate views contrary to the mainstream perspective of the Muslim community in the United States, but look like and talk like Muslims. Sarah Marusek, research fellow at University of Johannesburg, argues that FDD is one of the "key organizations peddling Islamophobia" in a "transatlantic network". Farid Hafez, researcher at Universität Salzburg, says the same.

References

References

1. (9 May 2013). "Foundation For The Defense Of Democracies Inc - Nonprofit Explorer".
2. Diamond, Jeremy. (2016-09-12). "Former CIA chief under Clinton joins Trump campaign".
3. Calmes, Jackie. (2013-10-23). "White House Official on National Security Is Fired After Twitter Posts Are Unmasked". [[The New York Times]].
4. Tharoor, Ishaan. (2021-12-01). "The assassination of Russia's ambassador in Turkey creates a crisis for Erdogan". [[The Washington Post]].
5. Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon. (2013-05-09). "Foundation For The Defense Of Democracies Inc - Nonprofit Explorer".
6. "Charity Navigator - IRS Data for Foundation for Defense of Democracies".
7. "Rating for Foundation for Defense of Democracies".
8. Matthew Petti. (September 9, 2024). "The War on 'Foreign Influence' Has Become a War on the First Amendment". Reason.
9. (15 November 2019). "Anti-Iran advocacy group FDD registers to lobby". Al-Monitor.
10. (18 August 2015). "Inside the Small, Pro-Israel Think Tank Leading the Attack on Obama's Iran Deal".
11. "Foundation for Defense of Democracies".
12. "FDD {{!}} Issues".
13. Roberts, Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu, Brandon. (2013-05-09). "Fdd Action - Nonprofit Explorer".
14. "About FDD Action".
15. Harris, Gardiner. (2018-05-13). "He Was a Tireless Critic of the Iran Deal. Now He Insists He Wanted to Save It.". The New York Times.
16. Judis, John B.. (18 August 2015). "The Little Think Tank That Could: Inside the small, pro-Israel outfit leading the attack on Obama's Iran deal". Slate.
17. Marusek, Sarah. (2017). "Inventing terrorists: the nexus of intelligence and Islamophobia". Critical Studies on Terrorism.
18. "About FDD".
19. Ahmad, Muhammad Idrees.. (2014). "The Road to Iraq : the Making of a Neoconservative War.". Edinburgh University Press.
20. Mearsheimer, John J.. (4 September 2007). "The Israel lobby and U.S. foreign policy".
21. Seliktar, Ofira. (2018). "Iran, Israel, and the United States : the politics of counter-proliferation intelligence".
22. (2018-11-02). "Un documentaire interdit sur le lobby pro-israélien aux États-Unis".
23. Crowley, Michael. (June 15, 2017). "Trump allies push White House to consider regime change in Tehran". [[Politico]].
24. Gilsinan, Kathy. (2019-08-29). "Iran's Enemy du Jour: A Guy Who Runs a Think Tank".
25. "Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation".
26. (2022-04-19). "It's time to talk about the shortcomings of cybersecurity in the water industry".
27. (2022-10-26). "Harden the cybersecurity of US nuclear complex now".
28. "Mission and History".
29. "China Program".
30. Tang, Didi. (2024-10-04). "China could wage economic war on Taiwan to force surrender, report says".
31. (2021-01-07). "Opinion {{!}} Matthew Pottinger exits, but his China strategy is here to stay". The Washington Post.
32. (2023-06-15). "President Tsai meets experts from US Foundation for Defense of Democracies".
33. Allen-Ebrahimian, Bethany. (2023-06-20). "Taiwan and Israel "have a lot to learn from each other"".
34. Smith, Eryk Michael. (2024-08-19). "China seeks to ‘wear down Taiwan’s reliance’ with covert economic and cyber operations, US wargamers say".
35. "FDD {{!}} Mark Dubowitz".
36. "FDD {{!}} Iran Program".
37. "Mark Dubowitz".
38. (2 August 2020). "Iran Sanctions Former U.S. National Security Aide: Report". Bloomberg.com.
39. (2019-08-24). "Iran sanctions Washington-based FDD for role in intensifying 'US economic terrorism'".
40. (August 24, 2019). "Foreign Ministry Blacklists 'Foundation for Defence of Democracies'". Islamic Republic of Iran: Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
41. "Iran - Energy". Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
42. Editorial. (2009-03-25). "Pain Iran Can Believe In". The Wall Street Journal.
43. Badran, Tony. "A Syria in minor key". NOW Lebanon.
44. "The Syria Project". Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
45. Zuka, Muhammad. (February 12, 2012). "A Syrian resistance leader's plea to the world". CNN.
46. (2023-04-16). "In Support of a Democratic Turkey".
47. Ciddi, Sinan. (2025-07-24). "Turkey’s Kurds and the Making of Erdoğan’s Autocracy".
48. "Turkey Program".
49. Ciddi, Sinan. (2023-08-02). "Chasing The Mirage of Turkey's Western Orientation".
50. "Capitol Hill Webinar - The Tectonic Shifting of Forces Within the Middle East".
51. (2023-03-06). "Turkey’s Erdogan must take concrete action on Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood".
52. Yeşilada, Atilla. (2023-02-04). "U.S. Demands More Sanctions Enforcement From Turkey".
53. Ciddi, Sinan. (2024-06-14). "Istanbul Court Censors Reports That Halkbank Loaned $17 Million to Alleged Organized Crime Boss".
54. "About". The Long War Journal.
55. Mcleary, Paul. (March–April 2008). "Blogging the long war: Bill Roggio wants to be your source for conflict coverage". Columbia Journalism Review.
56. Seligman, Lara. (2021-10-18). "U.S. envoy for Afghanistan to step down".
57. Bail, Christopher. (2015). "Terrified: How Anti-Muslim Fringe Organizations Became Mainstream". Princeton University Press.
58. "Form 990". ThinkProgress.
59. Eli Clifton. (2013-06-08). "Home Depot founder's quiet $10 million right-wing investment". Salon.
60. (26 March 2018). "Witness in Mueller probe aided UAE agenda in Congress". The Associated Press.
61. Hanieh, Adam. (2018). "Money, Markets, and Monarchies: The Gulf Cooperation Council and the Political Economy of the Contemporary Middle East". Cambridge University Press.
62. (3 June 2017). "Hacked Emails Show Top UAE Diplomat Coordinating With Pro-Israel Think Tank Against Iran". The Intercept.
63. "Will Qatar's Relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood Change after Gulf Reconciliation?".
64. (2016). "The Israel Lobby and the European Union". Public Interest Investigations.
65. (August 2011). "Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America". Center for American Progress.
66. (5 December 2019). "Factsheet: European Foundation for Democracy". Georgetown University.
67. (2014). "Counter-Radicalisation: Critical Perspectives". Routledge.
68. "FDD Team {{!}} Executives".
69. (2024-03-20). "Who's behind the pro-Palestinian protests that are disrupting Biden's campaign events and blocking city streets?".
70. "Iran: Geheimes Tunnelsystem im Visier des Westens - WELT".
71. "How the Compacts of Free Association Support U.S. Interests and Counter the PRC's Influence {{!}} Indo-Pacific Task Force {{!}} House Committee on Natural Resources".
72. (19 July 2011). "EXCLUSIVE: Documents Shed Light On Those Underwriting The Foundation For Defense Of Democracies". ThinkProgress.
73. (November 2, 2017). "The Trump Debate Inside Conservative Citadels". The New York Times.
74. Wilkerson, Lawrence. (5 February 2018). "I Helped Sell the False Choice of War Once. It's Happening Again". The New York Times.
75. (24 August 2019). "Iran Blacklists Foundation for Defence of Democracies". IFP News.
76. "Foreign Ministry Blacklists 'Foundation for Defence of Democracies'". Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Iran).
77. Hafez, Farid. (2019). "Islamophobia and Radicalization: Breeding Intolerance and Violence". Springer.
78. "About Right Web". RightWeb.
79. "Foundation for Defense of Democracies - Profile - Right Web - Institute for Policy Studies". Rightweb.irc-online.org.
80. (4 December 2023). "US Institutes Achieve Abu Dhabi Motives". La Weekly.
81. (3 June 2017). "Hacked Emails Show Top UAE Diplomat Coordinating With Pro-Israel Think Tank Against Iran". The Intercept.
82. Bail, Christopher. (2015). "Terrified: How Anti-Muslim Fringe Organizations Became Mainstream". Princeton University Press.
83. (2017). "What is Islamophobia?". Pluto Press.