U.S State Department urges think-tanks to disclose sources of funding publicly

In a press release from Secretary of State Pompeo, the Department of State has requested any academic bodies, think-tanks, and other “external sources of expertise in foreign affairs” to disclose their sources of funding publicly.

Secretary Pompeo articulated that “we are mindful that some foreign governments, such as those of the Peoples’ Republic of China and the Russian Federation seek to exert influence over U.S foreign policy through lobbyists, external experts and think-tanks” making “transparency regarding foreign funding more important than ever”.

Furthermore, the Secretary added that “to protect the integrity of civil society institutions, the Department requests henceforth that think tanks and other foreign policy organizations that wish to engage with the Department disclose prominently on their websites funding they receive from foreign governments, including state-owned or state-operated subsidiary entities”.

It must be noted that disclosure of these sources of funding is not a requirement of the State Department for engaging with such entities, yet the nature of that engagement will be contingent upon whether a disclosure has been made.