Corruption in the Middle East: Challenges Posed for the United States
Abstract
Headlines reading "Corruption Means the Poor Stay Poor in Oil-Rich State" or "Millionaire Mullahs" have become all too common. In fact, one is often hard pressed to pick up a reputable newspaper without some sort of corruption story on the politics, business, or even the sports pages. In countries developed and developing, large or small, market-oriented or otherwise, prominent politicians have lost their official positions and, in some cases, whole governments have been replaced as a result of corruption scandals. Historically, the United States government was concerned with corruption in foreign countries largely because many American exporters allegedly lost out on foreign deals because they are not allowed, under U.S. law, to pay bribes to foreign officials. For American companies, the payment of bribes to foreign officials is a criminal act and, of course, the bribes paid cannot be deducted as costs for tax purposes. Often this is not the case for their competitors from many of the other advanced industrialized countries. More recently however, U.S. concern over corruption has taken on a greater urgency. Corrupt countries often tend to be failed states, thus presenting the U.S. with a series of potential and real problems. Each poses a threat to the U.S. not from adversarial power and weaponry, but from weakness and inability to control what happens on its territory. When poor states such as Afghanistan, Somalia, Liberia, and Sudan lose control, it's often Americans who pay the price. Iraq was a failed state of a different sort, but still riddled with corruption. In fact a broad band of weak and failed states-in the greater Middle East, as well as from South and Central Asia to African and the Caribbean-can harbor terrorists and drug traffickers, and spark humanitarian disasters. Ironically, these weak and ineffectual states have the ability to undermine global economic growth and prosperity.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA524914
Entities
People
- Robert E. Looney
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School