Demokratiezentrum für Transparenz

When the US Senate recently voted to advance the Countering Lobbying Efforts by Authoritarian Regimes (CLEAR) Path Act, it marked a bipartisan acknowledgement that foreign influence efforts have outpaced existing laws. The legislation comes at a time when the policy space in Washington is increasingly characterised by both formal lobbying and public relations, as well as info...

The Death of the Diplomatic Profession in US Iran Negotiations is symptomatic of institutional decay. The April 2026 ceasefire talks, culminating in the much-publicised but ultimately futile Islamabad gathering, marked a shift from institutionalised to ad hoc diplomacy influenced by the politics of urgency. Structured diplomacy, characterised by technical working groups, mult...

This wave of lobbying by the prediction market has anointed what was a previously niche financial phenomenon into a major policy battle in Washington. What was initially a technical argument over event contracts has become a more general institutional issue concerning the way the United States regulates emerging financial products. The millions of dollars now being channeled ...

The 2.58 million lobbying expense that Sanofi spent in the first quarter of 2026 highlights the extent to which the federal policy has been integrated into pharmaceutical planning. The magnitude of this activity is not a simple advocacy activity; it is an indication of deliberate action to influence regulatory and pricing structures at a moment where policy decisions are incr...

Iran and US Threat of Retaliation Amid a Tenuous Truce demonstrate how ceasefires may be temporary breaks rather than permanent peace-making efforts. The naval incident of April 2026, triggered by the US confiscation of the Iranian ship, Touska, demonstrates how the tenuous peace agreements can be easily upset by operational means of enforcement. The US defended the seizure a...