SOROS SHADOW LOOMS LARGE OVER U.S. ENVOY GARCETTI

One of the major donors to IREX is the ‘Open Society Foundation’, which was founded by controversial billionaire George Soros.

- ABHINANDAN MISHRA

An initiative by the newly appointed American ambassador to India, Eric Garcetti, to involve billionaire George Soros in one of the embassy’s programmes has come under severe criticism. Last week, Garcetti announced that the US embassy in India was launching “Learn to Discern Indian Academy”, an academic programme whose objective is to “improve the critical thinking skills of Indians in the age range of 18–25”. This came just days after Garcetti had presented his credentials to the President of India on 11 May.

This free programme, which, as per the statement, will “empower the youth leaders of tomorrow by building their resilience to manipulative information”, is being executed by the International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX), a Washington-based international, non-profit organisation that specialises in global education and development. The body was found in 1968 by multiple organisations, including the Ford Foundation.

Its stated objectives, in more than 100 countries that it works in, are empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. 

In 2022, IREX had an annual budget of $110 million and a global staff of nearly 650 people.