Foreign lobbying is the practice of individuals, organizations or governments trying to influence political decisions in another country. This can take many forms, including direct communication with lawmakers, advertising campaigns, and donations to political parties.
In the United States, foreign lobbying is regulated by the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which requires lobbyists to register with the Department of Justice and disclose their activities and finances. However, some have criticized FARA as being too lax in its enforcement.
Foreign lobbying has been a controversial issue for years due to concerns about undue influence on democratic processes. In recent years there has been an increase in foreign lobbying activity linked to authoritarian regimes such as Russia and China.
The impact of foreign lobbying can be significant. For example, it was reported that during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign Russian agents used social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to sow discord among American voters.
To prevent undue influence on democratic processes by foreign entities it is important that countries have strong regulations in place governing foreign lobbying activities.