But the endowment is being launched at a time when democracy - TopicsExpress

But the endowment is being launched at a time when democracy assistance initiatives are under attack from authoritarian regimes and face growing skepticism from many local activists, according to Kinga Brudzinska, an analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs. Many civil society groups take a “negative view of foreign funding,” she claims due to “fear of donor intervention” in their work, “being labeled a ‘local agent’ for donor states’ vested interests” and the risk of prosecution for receiving foreign funding. But the European endowment may enjoy an advantage over its US counterparts, she claims. Research by the Cairo-based Arab Forum for Alternatives “shows that only 20 per cent of civil-society activists support funding from the US – compared with 80 per cent who hold a positive opinion of European and Japanese aid,” Brudzinska writes. - See more at: demdigest.net/blog/2013/08/european-endowment-needs-strategic-patience-launched-at-politically-sensitive-time-for-democracy-assistance/#sthash.jtMyiKU2.dpuf