Graduation Year

2023

Date of Submission

4-2023

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Government

Reader 1

Jordan Branch

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©2023JacobABoles

Abstract

This thesis explores how both allies and adversaries of the United States influence U.S. domestic and foreign policy, focusing on non-campaign (so generally lobbying) spending. Throughout the thesis, case studies and primary and secondary source research will be utilized to identify similarities and differences between the lobbying efforts of some of the top-spending countries in the U.S. lobbying sector: China, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, and Russia. The paper is divided into three chapters. The first explores the origins of foreign lobbying in the United States, beginning with a brief history of the practice domestically and detailing how certain events led to the creation of regulatory legislation for both domestic and foreign lobbying. The second chapter is comprised of a contemporary overview of the foreign lobbying sector with a close look at those top spending lobbying countries, grouping Japan, South Korea, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia into one section, and Russia and China into another based on strategic and political alignment. The third chapter will conclude the thesis by discussing certain recent lobbying developments, continuing with a more conceptual discussion about the implications of some of these efforts, arguing that the current regulatory framework is insufficient for limiting foreign influence in the U.S. body politic, and change must be made. Finally, the thesis will conclude that proponents of reform face an uphill battle against special interests, powerful corporations, and unmotivated lawmakers.

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