Editing Open Society Foundations (section)

==Critical reception==
In 2007, Nicolas Guilhot (a senior research associate at the [[French National Centre for Scientific Research]]) wrote in ''[[Critical Sociology (journal)|Critical Sociology]]'' that the Open Society Foundations is functionally conservative in supporting institutions that reinforce the existing social order, as the [[Ford Foundation]] and [[Rockefeller Foundation]] have done before them. Guilhot argues that control over the [[social sciences]] by moneyed interests, rather than by public officials, reinforced a [[Neoliberalism|neoliberal]] view of [[modernization]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Guilhot |first=Nicolas |date=May 2007 |title=Reforming the World: George Soros, Global Capitalism and the Philanthropic Management of the Social Sciences |journal=Critical Sociology |volume=33 |issue=3 |pages=447–477 |doi=10.1163/156916307X188988 |s2cid=146274470}}</ref>

An OSF effort in 2008 in the [[African Great Lakes]] region aimed at spreading human rights awareness among [[prostitution in Uganda|prostitutes in Uganda]] and other nations in the area was rejected by [[Uganda]]n authorities, who considered it an effort to legalize and legitimize prostitution.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 25, 2008 |title=Uganda prostitute workshop banned |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7313310.stm |access-date=November 20, 2015}}</ref>

Open Society Foundations has been criticized in the pro-Israel publications [[Tablet Magazine|''Tablet'']], ''[[Arutz Sheva]]'' and ''[[Jewish Press]]'' for funding the activist groups [[Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel|Adalah]] and [[Haneen Zoabi#Political career|I'lam]], they accuse of being [[Calls for the destruction of Israel|anti-Israel]] and supporting the [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions]] movement. Among the documents released in 2016 by [[DCleaks]], an OSF report reads "For a variety of reasons, we wanted to construct a diversified portfolio of grants dealing with [[Israel]] and [[Palestine]], funding both Israeli Jewish and PCI (Palestinian Citizens of Israel) groups as well as building a portfolio of Palestinian grants and in all cases to maintain a low profile and relative distance—particularly on the advocacy front."<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 14, 2016 |title=Soros Hack Reveals Evidence of Systemic Anti-Israel Bias |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/210826/soros-hack-reveals-evidence-of-systemic-anti-israel-bias |website=Tablet Magazine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=David Israel |date=August 14, 2016 |title=DC Leaks Publishes George Soros' Files Showing Millions Contributed to Anti-Israel Causes |url=http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/dc-leaks-publishes-george-soros-files-showing-millions-contributed-to-anti-israel-causes/2016/08/14/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901101523/http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/dc-leaks-publishes-george-soros-files-showing-millions-contributed-to-anti-israel-causes/2016/08/14 |archive-date=September 1, 2016 |access-date=February 23, 2019 |website=Jewish Press}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kaplan |first=Rachel |date=2016-08-14 |title=George Soros hacked, documents posted online |language=en |work=israelnationalnews.com |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/216382 |access-date=2022-11-06}}</ref>

In 2013, [[NGO Monitor]], an Israeli NGO, reported that "Soros has been a frequent critic of [[Israeli government]] policy, and does not consider himself a Zionist, but there is no evidence that he or his family holds any special hostility or opposition to the existence of the state of Israel. This report will show that their support, and that of the Open Society Foundations, has nevertheless gone to organizations with such agendas." The report says its objective is to inform the OSF, claiming: "The evidence demonstrates that Open Society funding contributes significantly to anti-Israel campaigns in three important respects:

# Active in the [[Durban strategy]];
# Funding aimed at weakening United States support for Israel by shifting public opinion regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iran;
# Funding for Israeli political opposition groups on the fringes of Israeli society, which use the rhetoric of human rights to advocate for marginal political goals."

The report concludes, "Yet, to what degree Soros, his family, and the Open Society Foundations are aware of the cumulative impact on Israel and of the political warfare conducted by many of their beneficiaries is an open question."<ref>[http://www.ngo-monitor.org/books/bad_investment_the_philanthropy_of_george_soros_and_the_arab_israeli_conflict/ ''Bad Investment: The Philanthropy of George Soros and the Arab-Israeli Conflict: How Soros-funded Groups Increase Tensions in a Troubled Region''], Alexander H. Joffe, Professor Gerald M. Steinberg, May 1, 2013</ref>

In November 2015, [[Russia]] [[Russian undesirable organizations law|banned]] the group on its territory, declaring "It was found that the activity of the Open Society Foundations and the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation represents a threat to the foundations of the constitutional system of the [[Russian Federation]] and the security of the state".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-11-30 |title=Russia bans George Soros foundation as state security 'threat' |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/russia-soros-idUSL1N13P22Y20151130 |access-date=2022-11-06}}</ref>

In 2017, Open Society Foundations and other NGOs for open government and refugee assistance were targeted by authoritarian and populist governments emboldened by the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|first Trump Administration]]. Several right-leaning politicians in eastern Europe regard many of the NGO groups to be irritants if not threats, including [[Liviu Dragnea]] in [[Romania]], [[Szilard Nemeth (politician)|Szilard Nemeth]] in [[Hungary]], [[Nikola Gruevski]] in [[Republic of North Macedonia|North Macedonia]] (who called for "de-Sorosization"), and [[Jarosław Kaczyński]] of  [[Poland]] (who has said that Soros-funded groups want "societies without identity").<ref name="NYT">{{Cite news |date=March 1, 2017 |title=After Trump Win, Anti-Soros Forces Are Emboldened in Eastern Europe |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/world/europe/after-trump-win-anti-soros-forces-are-emboldened-in-eastern-europe.html?_r=0 |access-date=March 3, 2017}}</ref> Some of the Soros-funded advocacy groups in the region said the harassment and intimidation became more open after the 2016 election of [[Donald Trump]] in the United States. Stefania Kapronczay of the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, which received half of its funding from Soros-backed foundations, claimed that Hungarian officials were "testing the waters" in an effort to see "what they can get away with."<ref name="NYT" />

In 2017, the government of Pakistan ordered the Open Society Foundations to cease operations in the country.<ref>Sayeed, Saad (December 13, 2017) [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-aid/pakistan-orders-george-soros-foundation-other-aid-groups-to-close-idUSKBN1E71N7 "Pakistan orders George Soros foundation, other aid groups to close,"] Reuters</ref>

In May 2018, Open Society Foundations announced they will move its office from Budapest to [[Berlin]], amid Hungarian government interference.<ref>{{Cite news |title=George Soros foundation to close office in 'repressive' Hungary |work=al Jazeera|first=Philip|last=Heijmans|date=15 May 2018|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/05/george-soros-foundation-close-office-repressive-hungary-180515160314017.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 15, 2018 |title=Soros foundation to leave Hungary |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44082976}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 15, 2018 |title=Soros foundation to close office in Budapest over Hungarian government's 'repressive' policies |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/15/soros-foundation-close-office-budapest-hungarian-governments/ |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/15/soros-foundation-close-office-budapest-hungarian-governments/ |archive-date=January 12, 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In November 2018, Open Society Foundations announced they are ceasing operations in [[Turkey]] and closing their [[Istanbul]] and [[Ankara]] offices due to "false accusations and speculations beyond measure", amid pressure from the Turkish government including detention of liberal Turkish intellectuals and academics even tangentially associated with the foundation.<ref>{{Cite news |date=November 26, 2018 |title=Açık Toplum Vakfı Türkiye'deki faaliyetlerini sonlandırıyor |publisher=Deutsche Welle Türkçe |url=https://www.dw.com/tr/a%C3%A7%C4%B1k-toplum-vakf%C4%B1-t%C3%BCrkiyedeki-faaliyetlerini-sonland%C4%B1r%C4%B1yor/a-46457377 |access-date=November 27, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 27, 2018 |title=Soros foundation to close in Turkey after being bashed by Erdogan |work=[[Al Jazeera English|Al Jazeera]] |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/11/soros-foundation-close-turkey-bashed-erdogan-181127061557606.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=November 26, 2018 |title=George Soros's Open Society Foundations to pull out of Turkey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/nov/26/george-soross-open-society-foundation-to-pull-out-of-turkey |website=[[The Guardian]] |location=Istanbul}}</ref>