In a near-parody of a non-denial denial, Brookings Scholar Dan Drezner explains that the New York Times blockbuster story “Foreign Powers Buy Influence at Think Tanks” gets it all wrong because, well, first of all, DC think tanks (like Brookings, for example) have to get their money from somewhere don’t they? And, and, anyway, the actual head of Brookings says it isn’t true, so that proves it. And also, “the systemic effect of this trend on American foreign policy is very likely nil.”
As for Dan’s first point, would it be okay for Brookings to take money from the Colombia drug cartel? I mean, if you need money, you need money, MIRITE or MIRITE? As for the second, it would be amusing, though unlikely, for the head of Brookings to admit that, yes, we are policy whores. As for the third, I don’t really know what a “systemic effect” on American foreign policy would look like, but that isn’t the NYT article’s point. The point is, foreign governments are actively and explicitly seeking to influence “informed opinion” on foreign and domestic policy issues in the U.S. via donations to DC think tanks, and the tanks are going along, because, well, they have to get the money from somewhere.
