To put it simply, lobbying is a deliberate effort to influence the process of government policymaking or legislative enactment in favour of particular business, political or other interests.
Lobbying thrives not only in the corridors of power; it’s equally used to influence public perceptions on particular issues by way of lobbying influential public relations firms and media organisations.
In fact, even highly reputable research institutions including scientific research centres aren’t completely invulnerable to lobbying, after all. Many supposedly objective pieces of research and findings on various issues including scientific findings by many reputable institutions and centres are somehow influenced by underlying interests of various lobbyists’ clients.
Though lobbying business flourishes more in the capitals of the particularly capitalist Euro-American axis e.g. London, Brussels, Paris, and, of course, Washington, it’s also quite common in other major capitals like Beijing and Moscow. It’s, however, particularly established in the United States being the world’s strongest military power and largest economy.
In Washington, well-connected persons many of whom have held various legislative offices in the US Congress, or important political or bureaucratic positions in the White House transform into lobbyists to leverage their respective connections in lobbying on behalf of big corporations, foreign governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and other interest groups.
Though lobbying is supposedly regulated by relevant laws to ensure transparency by enabling hired professionals to make a case for proposals on behalf of their respective clients, that isn’t always the case in reality.
In typical lobbying, the quality of a proposal argument per se doesn’t necessarily guarantee its acceptability. It’s an open secret that many a time, Congressmen, policymakers and high-ranking White House officials are influenced by way of inducement and/or tacit blackmail or both.
The amount of resources that corporations, foreign governments, cartels, NGOs, and interest groups invest in lobbying in the United States far exceeds the official figures, which only reflect reasonable payments for services rendered within the legal scope of lobbying. Whereas, in reality much more than that is spent under the table in inducements.
Lobbying is the real manifestation of capitalism (jari-hujja) or “iya kudinka, iya shagalinka”. It’s is effectively a “legalized” form of corruption. In the US, for example, various industries e.g. Banking, Manufacturing, Energy, Real Estate, Food, Insurance, pharmaceutical, Hollywood, etc. maintain high-paid lobbyists lobbying on their behalf for legislation and government policies advantageous to their collective interests.
In the meantime, there is an equally fierce struggle within each industry with each corporation and cartel maintaining its own lobbyists in its struggle for advantageous regulatory measures at the expense of the others.
Usually, an industry, cartel or corporation has its way depending on the amount of its lobbying budget and the effectiveness of the blackmailing tools at the disposal of its hired lobbyists.
Regulators induced in lobbying turn a blind eye to cases of cutting corners, exploitation and other unethical practices regardless of their implications on public health, safety and other interests.
Scandalous practices of such nature are occasionally exposed either accidentally or as a result of discreet investigations some of which are secretly sponsored by rival corporations and cartels, which have lost out in lobbying struggle.
Foreign governments equally maintain lobby firms in Washington; they invest hugely in lobbying not only to influence US foreign policy on particular issues but also to secure US active or tacit support on specific issues involving the interests of other countries.
Lobbyists in Washington can get a US administration to literally do the bidding of their respective foreign clients by way of inducing and/or blackmailing members of the US House of Representatives, the Senate, and appropriately influential officials in the White House.
Foreign governments with the highest spending on lobbying in Washington include Germany, Saudi Arabia, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Qatar, South Korea, etc. Interestingly, even some supposedly non-US allies e.g. China, Iran and Russia equally spend hugely on lobbying in Washington.
Also, though Israel maintains the most influential lobby in Washington, its case is particularly interesting, because, ironically, its influence isn’t linked to its spending on lobbying, if at all it spends. Its influence over the US political establishment, media and entertainment industries is so deep-rooted that no one can afford to be rightly or wrongly linked to anti-Israel sentiment, for it may simply mean the end of his political career. In the US political circle, everyone, including the president, is easily blackmailable when it comes to Israeli interests.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other interest groups equally maintain lobbyists in Washington. Groups and organizations hell-bent on promoting moral decadence and undermining ethical values are particularly active in lobbying for legislation and/or government policies favourable to their causes.
After all, the rate at which they are having their ways not just in Washington but other capitals across the world suggests the sheer influence of their backers. For instance, the so-called LGBTQ rights groups have grown so influential that criticizing their mission of promoting absolute rebellion against moral standards is now considered a form of primitive intolerance.
