14-05-2025
Failure to disclose affiliations in foreign policy activities demand scrutiny of US Congress
On 29 April 2025, a South African newspaper published
After the article was published,
Image: Corrected BusinessDay Article (
This was a necessary correction for a couple of reasons.
First, MTN Group regularly uses Covington & Burling for legal services. For example, MTN Group is using the firm for legal representation in
Second, Schneidman has a personal connection with the MTN Group. He was
As a consequence, Schneidman created an ethical situation for
Business Day
by not disclosing his Covington & Burling connection with MTN Group and the MTN chair.
In opinion editorials, it is
The problem is that South African newspapers may not be aware that there are
A rapid review shows that at least three current or former senior officials at Covington & Burling have published articles on US foreign policy using academic and/or think tank affiliations without a byline disclosure of their affiliation with Covington & Burling. They include
Image:
CSIS Profile, Covington Profile
Of course, Covington & Burling is not the only professional services company
The failure to disclose conflicts of interest is
At WestExec Advisors, there is a large stable of former US ambassadors who served under the Obama and Biden administrations. Unfortunately, those ambassadors often fail to disclose their affiliation with WestExec Advisors.
A rapid review shows that at least six former US ambassadors currently are not disclosing their affiliation with WestExec Advisors in their university and/or think tank profiles. They include ambassadors (retired)
To compound matters, ambassador (retired) James Jeffrey served as the chair of the Middle East Program at the Wilson Center until very recently. Like The Washington Institute for Near East Policy,
Wilson Center Profile for James Jeffrey
These findings beg the question of whether US universities and think tanks are doing enough to ensure disclosures of corporate conflicts of interest. The Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) serves as a case in point.
A rapid review shows that CSIS is currently failing to disclose the corporate affiliations of at least five current non-resident fellows in the Americas Program. They include
These findings should raise flags for Members of Congress.
The failure of US universities and think tanks to disclose the corporate affiliations of their non-resident fellows not only undermines public trust. It also raises important questions about whether these organisations should continue to qualify for tax exempt status, especially when some of the corporations are linked to partisan political action committees.
The US Congress might therefore want to consider conducting a public inquiry into the conflicts of interest of those who are entrusted to produce national security and foreign policy knowledge within US universities and think tanks. As part of that inquiry, members might want to consider new legislation that would require universities and think tanks to make form-based disclosures and quarterly reports similar to lobbying firms.
In the meantime, the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations could take immediate action to address this problem. One way would be to send a formal bipartisan request for information to the Acting Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, Michael Faulkender, seeking a determination of whether the tax exempt status of any US universities and think tanks is at risk over prior failures to disclose these sorts of conflicts of interest.
Michael Walsh is a visiting scholar at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. A full list of his professional affiliations can be found in his
