Political Corruption in U.S.,
Germany, and Russia
Eric Zuesse, December 13, 2021
The U.S. Government shaped the
Governments of Germany and of Russia; and, therefore, the campaign-finance laws
in these three countries will be compared here.
The U.S. Government shaped the
German Government not only because the U.S. Government (with the cooperation of
its WW II allies) shaped post-War West Germany, but because that West German
Government then ruled also the former East Germany after 3 October 1990; so,
the present German Government is an extension from what
U.S. President Truman’s Administration had produced as being West
Germany’s Government.
The U.S. Government also shaped
the Russian Government because the CIA and U.S. economists were in control over
Russia’s Government during Russian President Boris Yeltsin’s Presidency from 30
May 1990 to 31 December 1999, as has been well documented by many
articles, such as “How Harvard
lost Russia”, “Boris Yeltsin had entourage of ‘hundreds’ of
CIA agents who instructed him how to run Russia, claims former parliamentary
speaker”, “The plot to kill off the Soviet Union”, and, most recently, “Putin says Russian government was swarming
with CIA officers”.
(This was the result of decisions that
were made by U.S. President G.H.W. Bush.)
So, how do these three
Governments today compare regarding campaign finance, which is
an extremely important determinant of how corrupt a country is? After all: only
if billionaires’ (&/or their corporations and nonprofits or “NGOs”) buying a
nation’s head-of-state and its legislators is legally very hard to do, can the
given nation even possibly be an authentic democracy. For
example: one American billionaire, George Soros, commissioned a study to
examine the voting-records of the 751 members of the European Parliament to
come up with a list of all who (as the study became titled) “Reliable
allies in the European Parliament (2014 – 2019)”, and exactly 30%, 226 of them, were listed as being
such. So: the likelihood of the EU’s actually representing the peoples of
Europe would seem to be quite small.
Following here will be answers
that are solidly grounded in the written laws of each of these
three countries (though not necessarily reflecting how those laws are enforced —
or not), regarding the 12 most clearly important questions that were studied. I
present those dozen questions in the order that seems to me to provide the
clearest sequence in order for the reader to interpret them, not in the order
that was employed by the source:
https://www.idea.int/data-tools/data/political-finance-database
GERMANY:
https://www.idea.int/data-tools/country-view/92/55
“8. Is there a ban on anonymous
donations to candidates?” “There are no explicit provisions regarding donations
to candidates.”
“2. Is there a ban on donations
from foreign interests to candidates?” “There are no explicit provisions
regarding donations to candidates.”
“18. Is there a limit on the
amount a donor can contribute to a candidate?” “There are no explicit
provisions regarding donations to candidates.”
“10. Is there a ban on donations
from corporations with government contracts to candidates?” “There are no
explicit provisions regarding donations to candidates.”
“4. Is there a ban on corporate
donations to candidates?” “There are no explicit provisions regarding donations
to candidates.”
“6. Is there a ban on donations
from Trade Unions to candidates?” “There are no explicit provisions regarding
donations to candidates.”
“5. Is there a ban on donations
from Trade Unions to political parties?” “There are [is] no explicit ... ban on
donations from Trade Unions to political parties”
“3. Is there a ban on corporate
donations to political parties?” “Ban on donation from corporate bodies, but
accepted if it is a business enterprise, of whose shares more than 50 per cent
of shares are owned by Germans ...”
“9. Is there a ban on donations
from corporations with government contracts to political parties?” “No.”
“14. Is there a limit on the
amount a donor can contribute to a political party during a non-election
specific period?” “No.”
“16. Is there a limit on the
amount a donor can contribute to a political party during an election?” “No.”
“27. Are there provisions
requiring donations to go through the banking system?” “No.”
RUSSIA
https://www.idea.int/data-tools/country-view/254/55
“8. Is there a ban on anonymous
donations to candidates?” “No.”
“2. Is there a ban on donations
from foreign interests to candidates?” “Yes. Ban applies to Russian legal
entities with foreign participation, or state participation, or Russian legal
entities registered less than a year prior to the payment of the donation.”
“18. Is there a limit on the amount
a donor can contribute to a candidate?” “Yes, for both natural and legal
person”: currently (Presidential) $110,000/individual &
$1,100,000/corporation; & (legislative) $8,200/individual &
$38,500/corporation.
“10. Is there a ban on donations
from corporations with government contracts to candidates?” “No.” [But there is
this broader ban on corporate donations:]
“4. Is there a ban on corporate
donations to candidates?” “Yes.”
“6. Is there a ban on donations
from Trade Unions to candidates?” “No information found in sources.”
“5. Is there a ban on donations
from Trade Unions to political parties?” “No.”
“3. Is there a ban on corporate
donations to political parties?” “Yes.”
“9. Is there a ban on donations
from corporations with government contracts to political parties?” “No” (except
relating to corporate donations generally).
“14. Is there a limit on the
amount a donor can contribute to a political party during a non-election
specific period?” “Yes” (the same limit as during political contests).
“16. Is there a limit on the
amount a donor can contribute to a political party during an election?”
“Yes” (the same limit as during political contests).
“27. Are there provisions
requiring donations to go through the banking system?” “Donations ... to
electoral funds shall be done through a postal office or a bank in person out
of their own means by presenting a passport or an equivalent identity document,
… [and with the person’s] tax-payer number [no corporation’s taxpayer number,
because corporate donations are banned].”
U.S.
https://www.idea.int/data-tools/country-view/295/55
“8. Is there a ban on anonymous
donations to candidates?” “Yes.”
“2. Is there a ban on donations
from foreign interests to candidates?” “Yes.”
“18. Is there a limit on the
amount a donor can contribute to a candidate?” “Yes, for natural persons [not
for corporations or labor unions].”
“10. Is there a ban on donations
from corporations with government contracts to candidates?” “Yes.”
“4. Is there a ban on corporate
donations to candidates?” “Corporations and unions cannot make direct
contributions to parties and federal candidates, but they can make
contributions through a PAC, subject to limitations.”
“6. Is there a ban on donations
from Trade Unions to candidates?” “Yes.”
“5. Is there a ban on donations
from Trade Unions to political parties?” “Yes.”
“3. Is there a ban on corporate
donations to political parties?” “Corporations and unions cannot make direct
contributions to parties and federal candidates, but they can make
contributions through a PAC, subject to limitations.”
“9. Is there a ban on donations
from corporations with government contracts to political parties?” “Yes, for
natural persons.”
“14. Is there a limit on the
amount a donor can contribute to a political party during a non-election
specific period?” “Yes, for natural persons.”
“16. Is there a limit on the
amount a donor can contribute to a political party during an election?” “Yes,
for natural persons.”
“27. Are there provisions
requiring donations to go through the banking system?” “Yes.”
——
U.S. shows 0 clear “No”s (or
equivalents, such as “No information found in sources”).
Russia shows 5.
Germany shows 11.
Although this is a very
incomplete indicator of a country’s corruptness, it does present the U.S. in a
very favorable light, and present Germany (11 out of 12 “No”s) as being rather
astoundingly corrupt. Russia is midway between those two, perhaps because after
Yeltsin’s abominable rule, Putin cleaned up Russia’s Government, but a lot of
that job still remains undone, even after 21 years.
Germany’s Government was more
shaped by Truman than perhaps any in the world except America’s own Government.
But, from the present indicator, America’s vassal nations would appear to be
even more corrupt than the imperial center, the U.S., itself,
is — at least insofar as their political campaign-finance laws (“what’s
written in black and white” in the lawbooks) are concerned.
—————
Investigative historian Eric
Zuesse is the author of They’re Not
Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and
of CHRIST’S
VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.
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