President Trump announced at the C5+1 summit in Washington that Kazakhstan would join the Abraham Accords, becoming the first nation to do so during his second term. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and leaders from four other Central Asian states attended the announcement. However, the …
Donald TrumpMarco RubioKassym-Jomart Tokayevforeign-policypropagandamiddle-eastdiplomatic-theater
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a $20 billion rescue package for Argentina’s president Javier Milei, including currency swap agreements, direct peso purchases (only the fourth time since 1996 the U.S. bought another country’s currency), and Treasury bond purchases. The bailout …
Scott BessentDonald TrumpJavier MileiRob CitroneTreasury Departmentcorruptionconflicts-of-interestforeign-policycronyismfinancial-fraud
President Trump signed Executive Order 14348 on September 5, 2025, creating a new ‘State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention’ designation that empowers the Secretary of State to blacklist foreign countries determined to be involved in or supporting wrongful detentions of U.S. nationals. …
Donald TrumpWhite HouseDepartment of Stateexecutive-powerexecutive-orderspresidential-authorityforeign-policy
The Trump administration lifted US sanctions against Antal Rogán, a top Hungarian government official previously sanctioned for corruption, signaling a significant shift in diplomatic approach toward Hungary and potentially demonstrating geopolitical leverage.
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationAntal RogánViktor OrbánMarco Rubiokleptocracysanctionsforeign-policytrump-administration
Foreign Policy and other analysts published comprehensive assessments highlighting the systematic dismantling of anti-corruption infrastructure during the Trump administration. Key concerns include the closure of the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, a six-month pause on Foreign Corrupt …
Donald TrumpPam BondiJoe BidenBernie SandersForeign Policy Analystskleptocracyinstitutional-capturedemocratic-backslidingforeign-policytrump-administration+2 more
On November 20, 2018, President Trump issues an extraordinary written statement titled “Statement from President Donald J. Trump on Standing with Saudi Arabia” that explicitly rejects CIA findings and defends Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite the intelligence community’s …
Donald TrumpMohammed bin SalmanCIAKing SalmanGina Haspeldonald-trumpsaudi-arabiajamal-khashoggiciaintelligence+4 more
On October 23, 2018, three weeks after Jamal Khashoggi’s murder inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, President Trump publicly acknowledges the killing was orchestrated by Saudi Arabia but makes clear he will not hold Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accountable. Despite calling Saudi …
Donald TrumpMohammed bin SalmanMike PompeoSaudi Arabia governmentdonald-trumpsaudi-arabiajamal-khashoggiaccountabilitymohammed-bin-salman+2 more
President George W. Bush threatened to cast his first presidential veto if Congress blocked Dubai Ports World’s (DPW) acquisition of US port operations, sparking a major national security controversy. The $6.8 billion deal would have given a UAE state-owned company control of cargo terminals …
George W. BushCharles SchumerDubai Ports WorldUAERepublican Congress+2 morepresidential-powercorporate-influenceforeign-policyregulatory-capturenational-security
American Enterprise Institute leads coordinated think tank support for Iraq invasion, with over 20 AEI staff serving in Bush administration posts. Demonstrates systematic implementation of Powell Memo institutional capture strategy, using crisis to accelerate think tank influence over policy through …
American Enterprise InstituteHeritage FoundationDick CheneyPaul WolfowitzRichard Perlethink-tank-coordinationpowell-memo-implementationinstitutional-capturepersonnel-embeddingiraq-war+1 more
Customs and bank regulators in seven countries simultaneously raid and shut down the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), exposing what becomes known as the largest corporate criminal enterprise in history. The shutdown follows a Price Waterhouse investigation ordered by the Bank of …
William CaseyManuel NoriegaAdnan KhashoggiManucher Ghorbanifarcorruptionmoney-launderingCIAdrug-traffickingIran-Contra+1 more
The United States launches Operation Just Cause, deploying nearly 26,000 combat troops in the largest and most complex military operation since the Vietnam War to capture Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. The invasion targets two dozen locations throughout Panama in a massive show of force …
George H.W. BushManuel Noriegaforeign-policyCIAdrug-traffickingmilitary-interventionLatin-America
President Reagan vetoes the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986, calling economic sanctions against South Africa’s white minority regime “economic warfare” and claiming they would hurt the impoverished Black majority. Reagan’s veto represents the culmination of his …
Ronald ReaganDesmond Tutuforeign-policyhuman-rightsapartheidSouth-AfricaReagan-administration
Israel sends 96 American-made BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missiles to Iran through arms dealer Manucher Ghorbanifar, marking the first covert arms shipment in what becomes the Iran-Contra scandal. Hours after receiving the weapons, the Islamic fundamentalist group Islamic Jihad releases one American …
Ronald ReaganRobert McFarlaneOliver NorthManucher GhorbanifarIran-ContraReagan-administrationforeign-policyarms-traffickingcovert-operations
President Reagan sends Donald Rumsfeld as a special envoy to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, establishing formal diplomatic relations and initiating a strategic partnership during the Iran-Iraq War. The now-infamous handshake between Rumsfeld and Hussein symbolizes the Reagan …
Donald RumsfeldSaddam HusseinRonald Reaganforeign-policyIraqReagan-administrationwar-crimeschemical-weapons
President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan welcome Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos to the White House in September 1982, demonstrating strong support for the Philippine dictator despite his regime’s notorious corruption, extravagance, and brutality. The Reagans maintain a personal …
Ronald ReaganFerdinand MarcosImelda MarcosNancy Reaganforeign-policycorruptionkleptocracyhuman-rightsReagan-administration
General Efraín Ríos Montt seizes power in Guatemala through a military coup, beginning what would become the bloodiest period in the nation’s history. The Reagan administration, seeking regional allies for its covert war against Nicaragua’s Sandinista government, immediately embraces the …
Ronald ReaganEfraín Ríos Monttforeign-policyhuman-rightscentral-americagenocideReagan-administration
Archbishop Oscar Romero is assassinated on March 24, 1980, while celebrating Mass in San Salvador, marking a symbolic beginning of U.S. support for El Salvador’s death squad government during a brutal 12-year civil war. A single gunman fires directly into Romero’s heart from the chapel …
Ronald ReaganRoberto D'AubuissonOscar Romeroforeign-policyhuman-rightsdeath-squadsCentral-AmericaReagan-administration