PUBLICATIONS
Factsheet: U.S. Aid to Africa in Response to COVID-19
Africa Program
Jun-24-2020
This fact sheet summarizes the U.S. Government's response to COVID-19 on the African continent. Funding supports the implementation of health interventions for vulnerable populations.
Fact Sheet: Special Interests or the National Interest?
by William Hartung
Jun-08-2020
The size and composition of the U.S. nuclear arsenal should be determined by what is needed to deter potential adversaries from attacking the United States or its allies. But too often other factors come into play, most notably the vested interests of the lobby for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
The Center for International Policy's Statement on the Current Crises facing the United States
by The Center for International Policy and Salih Booker
Jun-02-2020
The Center for International Policy expresses its grief over the continued deaths of black people in America at the hands of police and white vigilantes. We stand in solidarity with the countless protesters who have taken to the streets to demand justice for all of those who suffer from the structural and institutionalized racism of this country.
Report: The Trump Effect: Trends in Major U.S. Arms Sales 2019
by Elias Yousif, William Hartung, and Christina Arabia
May-21-2020
This report finds that the Trump administration made at least $85.1 billion arms sales offers in 2019, the highest level since it took office in 2017. Because of a lack of full transparency on the value of Direct Commercial Sales licensed by the State Department, the $85.1 billion figure is a conservative estimate. Over the first three years of the Trump administration, the U.S. made arms offers worth over $240 billion – nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars. The report presents recommendations based on these findings.
Report: The Qatar Lobby in Washington
by Ben Freeman
May-13-2020
In June 2017, member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) severed diplomatic ties and blockaded Qatar, citing the country's ties to terrorist organizations. This damaged Qatari-U.S. relations, but only ten months after the blockade began, Trump met with the Emir of Qatar in the Oval Office.
This report investigates the Qatar Lobby and the work that it did in those ten months between 2017-2018 to mend its relationship with the U.S.
U.S. Security Assistance to Egypt: Examining the Return on Investment
by William Hartung and POMED's Seth Binder
May-06-2020
Coauthors Seth Binder of POMED and William D. Hartung of CIP call for a revamp of U.S. security assistance to Egypt—including a reduction in U.S. military aid.
Factsheet: Black History Month-Pan-Africanism
Africa Program
Feb-27-2020
This month we honor people of African descent that have kept the flame of Africa alive in the U.S. while making significant contributions to the global Pan-African movement. This fact sheet highlights the accomplishments of some pioneers of the movement as well as some lesser known Keepers of the Flame. This was created by Darren Harvey, Temi Ibirogba and Salih Booker of CIP's Africa Program.
Briefing: The African Ban
Africa Program
Feb-07-2020
This briefing takes a look at how the 2020 travel ban, annouced on 31 January, affects African nations. President Trump expanded his 2017 travel ban by placing restrictions on half a dozen additional countries including Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, along with Tanzania, Eritrea and Sudan. 25% of Africa’s population will be affected by this ban including the continent’s most populous country and largest economy. The travel ban expansion contradicts the Trump administration’s policy initiative, Prosper Africa, which is meant to increase economic ties with the African continent as a way of competing with Russian and Chinese influence.
Issue Brief: Ukraine Military Aid Suspension at the Heart of Impeachment
by Elias Yousif
Jan-29-2020
The U.S security aid relationship with Ukraine is relatively new, beginning in 2014 after a Russian military intervention in the country's east and annexation of Crimea. Since then, U.S. military aid to Ukraine has grown annually by an average of 42%. Between FY2008 and FY2013, annual security aid to Ukraine averaged 57.9M. Between FY2014 to FY2019, that figure had jumped to $263.5M. But it wasn't until Trump assumed office that the U.S. began providing lethal equipment, a notable policy shift from the Obama Administration. It was the culmination of a bipartisan consensus surrounding support to Kyiv in the face of Russian pressure, which is why the President's subsequent suspension came as such a surprise and drew such a sharp rebuke from lawmakers and other stakeholders.
Report: Foreign Funding of Think Tanks in America
by Ben Freeman
Jan-29-2020
Think tanks vary considerably in terms of their objectives and organization, but many think tanks in Washington D.C. share a common trait—they receive substantial financial support from foreign governments. While these are often democracies with interests closely aligned with those of the U.S., a significant number of these foreign donors are undemocratic, authoritarian regimes whose aims often diverge significantly from U.S. interests. In a variety of instances, the public has learned that this foreign funding can significantly influence think tanks’ work. It can lead to a think tank producing reports favorable to a foreign power, think tank experts offering Congressional testimony in support of a foreign powers’ interests, or its scholars working closely with a foreign funders’ registered lobbyists.
Issue Brief: Suspension of Lebanon's U.S. Security Assistance
by Elias Yousif
Nov-07-2019
The Trump administration is reportedly witholding $105M in U.S. security assistance to Lebanon, including substantial aid to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
Report: The Emirati Lobby: How the UAE Wins in Washington
by Ben Freeman
Oct-15-2019
How has the UAE maintained its privileged status? In short, the UAE has a vast and immensely influential lobbying and public relations campaign in America that has allowed the monarchy to exert considerable sway over U.S. policy, while keeping the UAE’s indiscretions largely hidden. In this report we attempt to tell the story of that influence operation.
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