The Biden Administration’s Anti-Corruption Agenda

Will key European leaders join Biden’s approach on fighting kleptocratic regimes, whether Russia, China, Iran or Turkey?

 
It was no coincidence that President Biden took personal charge of issuing his first National Security Council Memorandum (NSCM) on the eve of his recent trip to Europe. He detailed a strong anti-corruption agenda.

 
The U.S.’s goals

His aim was to send two messages:

First, the U.S. government counts on its West European partners and allies to support his view that anti-corruption is a major issue of national security and demands robust coordinated approaches.

Second, the U.S. considers the Russian government in particular as a corrupt regime and is determined to implement forceful measures to curb its activities. This applies especially to Russian efforts connected to the goal of undermining Western democracies.

 
Biden’s commitment

Emphasizing why he views the issue as so important, President Biden stated: “Fighting corruption is not just good governance. It is self-defense. It is patriotism, and it’s essential to the preservation of our democracy and our future.”

He added, “Corruption is a risk to our national security, and we must recognize it as such.”

 
Fighting corruption: A matter of intelligence

Senior U.S. administration officials stressed that the U.S. government will boost its efforts to gather intelligence across the world on corruption.

This involves strengthening its investigations and prosecutions of money laundering, boosting foreign aid to assist countries to counter graft and increasing efforts to coordinate actions with like-minded governments.

 
A rare national consensus

The President’s anti-corruption strategy has increasing support in the U.S. Congress. It was no coincidence that his announcement coincided with the launch in the U.S. House of Representatives of an “Anti-Kleptocracy Caucus,” enjoying bi-partisan support.

A similar initiative is likely in the U.S. Senate. New anti-corruption legislation is now planned.

 
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Πηγή: theglobalist.com