The U.S.-Libya Business Association, whose membership includes major oil companies, is meeting today with a top official of that once-ostracized nation. Libya is actively courting foreign investors to its rich oilfields.
Continue readingGaddafi’s long history of lobbying comes to an end
Libyan Dictator Moammar Gaddafi was killed today in his hometown of Sirte, a showman to the end, “brandishing a golden pistol.” Lobbying, in many ways, was part of his political arsenal that boosted Gaddafi’s international prowess, helped protect him from additional sanctions and promoted the business interests of the Libyan ruling elite and U.S. business. We’ve covered several of these instances in the past. Here’s a look at a few:
Paul Blumenthal reported, on the Monitor Group, an international firm that contracted with the Libyan dictator, which should have filled under the Foreign Agent Registrant Act ...
Continue readingA look back at Gaddafi’s lobbying as his regime falls
Libyan rebel forces now hold most of Tripoli. Gaddafi’s sons have been captured but the eccentric Libyan dictator remains elusive.
Gaddafi’s political craftsmanship carried him through 42 years. The reign of Gaddafi “Brother Leader and Guide of the Revolution” was bolstered first by the fear of the international community, then its support, achieved by the Libyan dictator’s skillful pirouette from flouting international norms to making concessions to come back into the international fold. That he did so with the aid of Western lobbyists, intellectuals and former heads of state is less well known.
While the public recalls ...
Continue readingMonitor Group Admits Violating FARA Law
The Monitor Group, a business consulting firm run by Harvard professors, has admitted that they broke the Foreign Agents Registration... View Article
Continue readingUnofficial Libyan ambassador registers with FARA
In a sign of the ambiguity of international policy toward Libya, Ali Suleiman Aujali, the diplomat who made headlines when he defected from the Gadafi Government in February, has registered as a foreign agent with the U.S. Justice Department to represent the Transitional National Council of Libya, the umbrella group representing the forces opposed to the rule of Muammar Gaddafi.
The State Department has not officially recognized the opposition rebels as the legitimate government of Libya. If it had, as the Foreign Agent Registration Unit notes on its website, no filing would be necessary. "Diplomats and officials of foreign ...
Continue readingMonitor Group Looking Into FARA Violation
The question of whether a Boston-based consulting group hired by Libya’s Moammar Gaddafi should have registered as a foreign agent... View Article
Continue readingThe Monitor Group, Libya, And Positive Media Mentions
The Monitor Group/Libya controversy continues today with an article in the Boston Globe. The article quotes Libya scholar Dick Vandewalle... View Article
Continue readingThe Monitor Group and Libya, Cont’d
Mother Jones’ David Corn and Siddhartha Mahanta have an excellent piece about how The Monitor Group flacked for Libya and... View Article
Continue readingUS Consulting Group Working For Libya Did Not Register As Foreign Agent
“Monitor is not a lobbying group.” That was the assertion in one of a series of memos between The Monitor... View Article
Continue readingUnrest in the Middle East – Roundup of Sunlight’s Coverage
Since the unrest in the Middle East began a month ago the Sunlight Foundation has shone a unique spotlight on the lobbying efforts by the governments now facing massive protests and upheaval.
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