Respected research groups are acting as lobbyists, getting millions to further donor countries' agendas, probe finds
The Straits Times, 8 Sep 2014
The Straits Times, 8 Sep 2014
But the recipient of the cash was not one of the many lobbying firms that work every year on behalf of foreign governments.
It was the Centre for Global Development, a non-profit research organisation, or think-tank, one of many in Washington that lawmakers, government officials and news media have long relied on to provide independent policy analysis and scholarship.
In recent years, more than a dozen prominent Washington research groups have received tens of millions of dollars from foreign governments while pushing US officials to adopt policies that often reflect the donors' priorities, an investigation by The New York Times (NYT) has found.
The money is increasingly turning the once-staid think-tank world into a muscular lobbying arm for foreign governments. And it has raised questions about intellectual freedom: Some scholars say they were pressured to reach conclusions friendly to the government financing the research.
The think-tanks do not disclose the terms of the agreements, And they have not registered with the US government as representatives of the donor countries - an omission that seems, in some cases, to be a violation of federal law, according to legal specialists who examined the agreements at the request of NYT.
As a result, policymakers who rely on think-tanks are often unaware of the role of foreign governments in funding the research.
The arrangements involve Washington's most influential think-tanks, including the Brookings Institution, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Atlantic Council. Each is a major recipient of overseas funds, producing policy papers, hosting forums and organising private briefings for senior US officials that typically align with the agendas of the foreign governments.
Most of the money comes from countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia - in particular the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Norway - and takes many forms.
The UAE, a major supporter of the CSIS, quietly provided a donation of more than US$1 million to help build its new glass-and-steel headquarters located not far from the White House.
Qatar, a small but wealthy Middle East nation, agreed last year to make a US$14.8 million, four-year donation to Brookings, which has helped fund a Brookings affiliate in Qatar and a project on US relations with the Islamic world.
Still, top executives at the think-tanks strongly defended the arrangements, saying the money never compromised the integrity of their research.
"Our currency is our credibility," said Mr Frederick Kempe, chief executive of the Atlantic Council, a fast-growing research centre that focuses mainly on international affairs and has accepted donations from at least 25 countries since 2008.
"Most of the governments that come to us - they understand we are not lobbyists. We are a different entity, and they work with us for totally different purposes."
Some scholars say the donations have led to implicit agreements that the research groups would refrain from criticising the donor governments.
"There was a no-go zone when it came to criticising the Qatari government," said Dr Saleem Ali, who served as a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Centre in Qatar.
"It was unsettling for the academics there. But it was the price we had to pay," he said.
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