A global human rights organization backed by George Soros has placed the United States on a watchlist of nations with deteriorating civil liberties, grouping America alongside authoritarian states like North Korea and China. The organization, CIVICUS, which received over $3.5 million from Soros’s Open Society Foundations between 2016 and 2021, announced the controversial designation on Monday.
The organization’s decision stems from what it characterizes as challenges to democratic norms under the Trump administration. CIVICUS’s assessment, however, appears to classify standard
constitutional executive actions as threats to democracy. These include the president’s legitimate use of executive orders,
restructuring of federal agencies under executive branch authority, and constitutional appointment of cabinet officials.
Mandeep Tiwana, serving as CIVICUS’s interim co-secretary general, drew parallels between current circumstances and the McCarthy era, describing the situation as an unprecedented assault on American rule of law. Tiwana expressed concern about what he termed “restrictive executive orders” and “institutional cutbacks,” suggesting these measures create an environment hostile to democratic dissent.
The watchlist designation notably overlooks any actions by the Biden administration that conservatives might consider detrimental to democratic institutions. Instead, CIVICUS focuses exclusively on claiming the Trump administration is undermining democratic checks and balances.
The 2025 watchlist features several other nations alongside the United States, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Italy, Pakistan, and Serbia. CIVICUS, established in 1993, presents itself as a worldwide alliance dedicated to strengthening civil society and citizen activism.
The organization’s funding history reveals substantial financial ties to George Soros’s philanthropic network. Financial records show that between 2016 and 2021, CIVICUS received multiple grants from the Open Society Foundations, totaling millions of dollars, raising questions about potential political motivations behind the watchlist
designation.
The watchlist criteria appear to interpret routine governmental functions as potential threats to democracy. For instance, the organization cites the president’s constitutional authority to issue executive orders and manage federal agencies as concerning
developments. One specific point of contention involves changes to USAID, where the organization criticized efforts to align the agency with presidential directives.
CIVICUS’s assessment of the United States’ democratic standing has sparked debate about the objectivity of international watchdog organizations and their role in global politics. The decision to place the United States alongside authoritarian regimes has raised eyebrows among political observers, particularly given the organization’s financial connections to progressive donor networks.
The designation represents a significant shift in how some
international organizations view American democracy, though critics argue the assessment may be colored by political bias rather than objective analysis of civil liberties. The organization’s focus on specific administrative actions as indicators of democratic decline, while excluding consideration of other factors, has led to questions about the methodology behind their watchlist determinations.
This development occurs against the backdrop of broader international discussions about democratic institutions and civil society, with various stakeholders debating the criteria for evaluating national commitment to democratic principles. The inclusion of the United States on this watchlist alongside nations traditionally criticized for human rights violations marks a notable shift in international perspectives on American governance.