Do Foreign Donations to Think Tanks Buy Influence?

Think tanks are an essential part of the foreign policy decision making process in the United States. Political leaders on both sides of the aisle turn to them for advice and guidance; the media uses them to inform the public on foreign policy issues; and students who are studying foreign policy use them as sources to complete papers and projects. These policy shops do usually have political leanings, however these biases are almost always on display. What is not well know is the recent trend of these institutions accepting money from foreign governments. This raises an important question: do these donations buy foreign governments influence?

According to the New York Times, foreign governments have invested millions of dollars into various think tanks in the United States. Some of the largest recipients of these donations are organizations that espouse their independence and being non-partisan. However, when it comes to discussing the governments of nations that have given money to these organizations that independence is cast-aside. The Times reported that one employee was told that he could not in any way, shape, or form criticize a donor nation. While these organizations have not crossed the line to providing false information, they are not telling everything that could be said.

There is also another impact of these donations by foreign governments on the think tank industry. It risks turning the think tank industry into being an extension of the lobbying industry. Some think tanks have accepted money to suggest policy positions to Congress on behalf of foreign governments. There is one distinction from your typical beltway lobbying firm and think tanks who advocate for foreign governments: lobbying firms are not viewed as being independent and are not brought onto the news to inform the public.

The recent trend of think tanks accepting money form foreign governments is a disturbing trend. They risk turning what is viewed as one of the last remaining examples of  "independent" policy analysis into little more than lobbying shops. If these organizations are no longer able to provide this, then political leaders and the public would no longer have a trusted source of information on foreign policy. This would weaken the knowledge and understanding of both groups and would make our foreign policy less coherent and effective.