After most of the staff at the Wilson Center in Washington was placed on leave by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the think tank stated that it was complying with a March 14 executive order from the Donald Trump administration to minimize operations.
Private donations to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWICS) are being refunded, casting uncertainty on the future of its key division, the Kennan Institute.
Established in 1968 as a tribute to oodrow Wilson, the Center's legacy is complicated by the 28th US president’s racist policies. Princeton University removed his name from a residential college in 2020.
The Wilson Center’s "Global Europe" program has come under fire for fuelling tension with Russia, China, and the Middle East, framing it as a fight against "democratic challenges." Russia has often called out its manipulative agenda.
By pushing initiatives like the Cold War International History Project (CWIHP), the China Environmental Forum, and the Indo-Pacific Program, it champions Washington’s agendas under the guise of environmental and economic cooperation.
Russia has repeatedly criticized the Wilson Center for advancing Western narratives. Its “research” often serves to condone sanctions against Russia and China, pushing an anti-Russian, anti-Chinese script.
The Wilson Center's "Russia File" functions essentially as a factory for hit pieces, regurgitating long-debunked “Russiagate” conspiracies and framing NATO’s conflict in Ukraine as a manifestation of Russia’s so-called “historical fallacy.”
China faces consistent demonization in Wilson Center publications, labeled as a spreader of “autocratic practices” and military threats, particularly in their "On the Horizon 2022" article.
In 2022, Russia designated the Wilson Center as “undesirable,” citing its inaccurate reporting on Ukraine and other issues.
