This article is written by Chalamalasetti Lakshmi Naga Sai of 4th Semester of ICFAI Law School, Hyderabad
ABSTRACT
Corruption destroys confidence, undermines democracy, stifles economic growth, and makes inequality, poverty, social division, and the environmental problem worse. We can only expose corruption and hold the corrupt accountable if we comprehend how, it operates and the structures that make it possible. This research paper deals with corruption and how US overcomes such corruption. Firstly, this research paper starts with introducing corruption to the readers and then this research paper proceeds with discussing about strategic pillars of US in curbing corruption. Then this paper discusses about each strategic pillar elaborately and this paper ends with conclusion.
KEYWORDS
Corruption, US, strategic pillars, Accountable, anti-corruption
INTRODUCTION
The harmful effect of corruption eats away at public trust and the capacity of governments to provide for their population. Corruption is a cancer within the body of societies. Nearly every facet of society is affected negatively by corruption. It worsens social, political, and economic inequality and polarisation, hinders governmental responses to public health emergencies or the provision of high-quality education, deteriorates the business climate and economic opportunity, fosters conflict, and erodes public confidence in government. Those who utilise their positions of authority for personal gain commit theft of not just tangible goods but also of people’s welfare and dignity.[1]
President Biden declared the battle against corruption to be a key area of U.S. national security priority on June 3, 2021, realising that corruption has the power to undermine democracy. In light of this, he gave his national security team the task of developing a comprehensive strategy that, if put into action, would increase the capacity of activists, investigative journalists, and other people who work to expose corruption in the United States Government and better hold corrupt actors accountable.[2]
Government employees do more than just take advantage of illegal wealth when they utilise public authority for personal benefit. Citizens lose equitable access to essential services due to corruption, which also denies them the right to high-quality healthcare, public safety, and education. It deteriorates the business climate, undermines opportunities for employment and increases inequality. It frequently supports abuses of human rights, which might lead to migration. Corruption undermines institutions, erodes public confidence, and feeds public scepticism towards efficient, accountable administration as a fundamental challenge to the rule of law. [3]
The U.S. Government will focus its efforts on five interconnected pillars of work in order to combat corruption and its harmful effects:
· Modernizing, coordinating, and resourcing U.S. Government efforts to fight corruption;
· Curbing illicit finance;
· Holding corrupt actors accountable;
· Preserving and strengthening the multilateral anti-corruption architecture; and,
· Improving diplomatic engagement and leveraging foreign assistance resources to advance policy goals.
The United States intends to take the lead in promoting prosperity and security for the American people and people all over the world by pursuing specific lines of effort that advance strategic objectives under each of these pillars and integrating anti-corruption efforts into pertinent policy-making processes.[4]
STRATEGIC PILLARS
Five unique strategic pillars that reinforce one another form the foundation of the United States Strategy to Counter Corruption. Specific lines of endeavour (LOEs) that support each pillar are listed and described in the appendix that is attached. This will be implemented as part of
In order to track success towards each strategic goal, the Biden-Harris Administration will create metrics.
The US will:
- Consult and Coordinate across all five strategic pillars. The U.S. Government will consult and collaborate with members of civil society, the corporate sector, international and multilateral organisations, government partners, researchers, and the media in order to successfully combat corruption.
- Elevate and Engage. According to NSSM-1, the U.S. Government will emphasise anti-corruption efforts through bilateral and multilateral diplomatic engagements, prioritise these efforts as a national security concern within all relevant policymaking processes, and encourage state-regulated professionals in the U.S. to step up their efforts in tandem with federal action.
- Continually Evaluate and Improve Our Methodology. In order to adapt to new challenges and possibilities, the U.S. Government will promote an innovative culture that manages risks, evaluates effects, and learns from failures. This is important because corrupt and illegal actors may alter their strategies in response to our actions.
PILLAR ONE: Modernizing, Coordinating, and Resourcing U.S. Government Efforts to Better Fight Corruption[5]
Although the United States has traditionally led the world in the battle against corruption, the U.S. Government will need to alter the way it conducts business if it wants to prioritise and intensify anti-corruption measures. As a result, we will modify our methods to address the numerous manners in which corruption appears in today’s global economy. Departments and agencies will commit more personnel to coordinating anti-corruption activities as a top priority for both domestic and foreign policy, including by guaranteeing collaboration with international partners to scale up our efforts.
Governmental and non-governmental partners who are advancing new solutions will be encouraged and studied. Additionally, we will allocate and manage financial resources by aligning sensible methods with important goals.
In order to achieve this, us will strengthen the research, data collection, and analysis related to corruption (Strategic Objective 1.1), with the goal of using information more effectively to comprehend and map corruption networks and related proceeds, dynamics, and actions. We will also develop the evidence base for effective assistance approaches.
US has increased the exchange of information both locally and abroad, coordinating activities across the federal, state, tribal, and local agencies as well as with partners and allies abroad. We shall pay closer attention to the international aspects of corruption in all of our alliances, diplomatic engagement, and programmes for international aid. To make the fight against corruption an institutional priority, we will better organise and resource the effort. Additionally, we will incorporate anti-corruption concerns into regional, thematic, and sectoral goals, among other ways, by issuing new guidelines, participating in planning and budgetary procedures, reviewing aid, using strategic communications, and integrating anti-corruption concerns into other industries.[6]
PILLAR TWO: Preventing Illegal Financing
For too long, crooked individuals and their financial enablers have abused weaknesses. to hide the profits of crime and launder their assets in the U.S. and global financial systems.1
Similar to how corrupt individuals get illegitimate riches from other resources, includes fauna and minerals. The U.S. Government must battle money laundering, illegal trafficking, and other types of criminal behaviour that support corruption and allow criminal actors to launder and conceal money in order to successfully combat corruption across the world.
As the largest economy in the international financial system, the United States has a special obligation to address any regulatory shortcomings we may have, including those in our AML/CFT regime, in order to support international efforts to reduce the flow of funds used for bribery and other illegal activities.
As a result, us addressed flaws in the American anti-money laundering system (Strategic Objective 2.1), particularly by efficiently gathering beneficial ownership data on people who run anonymous shell firms and by enhancing transparency in real estate deals. Given how quickly money and other commodities cross borders, we will also collaborate with allies and partners to address governance flaws and other issues (Strategic Objective 2.2), tighten up on international regulations, improve information sharing and law enforcement cooperation, and prevent the emergence of new safe havens as we work to close down existing ones.
PILLAR THREE: Holding Corrupt Actors Accountable[7]
The U.S. Government will hold individuals who choose to engage in corruption responsible as it works to rectify flaws and reduce corrupt actors’ ability to launder money through international markets. The U.S. Government will participate in this initiative by Utilising tried-and-true methods, enforce current laws while collaborating with Congress to create new powers to address the corruption problem as it now exists.
In order to do this, US will maintain and strengthen our effective enforcement strategies, vigorously enforcing current laws and increasing our collaboration with other jurisdictions. We shall improve the instruments at our disposal to hold dishonest people responsible at home and internationally, such as by collaborating with the Congress to make it illegal for foreign public officials to seek bribes. We shall coordinate and cooperate on tax enforcement, sanctions, visa restrictions, and other efficient authorities and measures in order to build complementary regimes and magnify our efforts. Enhancing support for international partnerships and transnational efforts, working with partners to encourage and expand their capacity to seek reform, and strengthening the ability of foreign partner governments to pursue accountability in a just and equitable manner are some of the ways.
PILLAR FOUR: Preserving and Strengthening the Multilateral Anti-Corruption Architecture[8]
The United States is still dedicated to enhancing the global framework through which multilateral initiatives, agreements, and standards enhance and legitimise global anti-corruption activities. We won’t be able to reduce corruption’s prevalence and fewer incentives for corrupt behaviour. The United States will further strengthen the multilateral system’s approach to combating corruption as a global problem by leading within existing institutions and, in consultation with partners, developing new fit-for-purpose platforms. This will be done by utilising all available fora to tackle shared priorities and eliminate safe havens for corrupt actors and their illicit proceeds.
In order to achieve this, we will strengthen anti-corruption institutions and the application of current frameworks, in part by carrying out existing agreements, pressuring partners to fulfil their commitments, and holding those who do not responsible. Additionally, we should step up our efforts in multilateral fora to promote anticorruption policies, argue in favour of strict anticorruption controls in any multilateral aid, and broaden and deepen our participation in crucial fora.
PILLAR FIVE: Improving Diplomatic Engagement and Leveraging Foreign Assistance Resources to Advance Policy Objectives[9]
The cornerstones of the American strategy to fight corruption include diplomacy, international aid, especially aid to the security sector, and multilateral lending. Together, these initiatives can increase partner governments’ willingness and ability to promote moral conduct, boost legal frameworks, make sure anti-corruption laws are followed, and plan effective responses to the use of strategic corruption, among other things. They could also aid civil society in bringing corruption to light, participating in advocacy and action, and raising awareness of and money for anti-corruption reform. However, without a thorough examination of the local political, economic, and social factors Foreign aid can be misdirected or unintentionally support corrupt power structures without effective risk management procedures and coordination with other U.S. Government agendas. The U.S. Government must therefore evaluate potential partners’ capacity for absorption, rationalise investments across the interagency, run its programming with the utmost transparency, and make sure that its assistance efforts are completely in line with overarching policy objectives in order to protect its assistance dollars.
US intensified and broaden the scope of diplomatic engagement and international aid in order to address the worldwide reach of corruption and its harmful impacts, including by improving partner countries’ capacity to combat corruption in accordance with U.S. law. strengthening the preventative and supervision capabilities of willing governments and strengthening the enforcement agencies.US safeguard the freedom of speech of anti-corruption activists, tip-takers, and investigative journalists as well as anti-corruption players.
We will use innovation as a weapon in the battle against corruption, employing fresh strategies and cutting-edge technology to encourage transparency and uncover fraud and nefarious financing.
CONCLUSION
Corruption hurts both individuals and society, whether it comes from the small-town hospital administrator who demands bribes in exchange for providing life-saving services or the world-traveling kleptocrat who offshores an embezzled wealth. Corrupt actions can have both direct and indirect impacts.
Government officials directly transfer financing from necessary services to private interests when they embezzle from public funds or manipulate a contract to benefit a political ally. Additionally, corruption indirectly lowers public confidence in government institutions, which in turn can increase the attractiveness of illiberal actors who use public concerns for political gain.
[1] Fact sheet: U.S. Strategy on countering corruption, available at: Fact Sheet: U.S. Strategy on Countering Corruption | The White House (last visited on June 28,2023)
[2] Ibid
[3] United states strategy on countering Corruption, available at: Microsoft Word – United States Strategy on Countering Corruption (whitehouse.gov) (last visited on June 29,2023)
[4] Ibid
[5] United states strategy on countering Corruption, available at: Microsoft Word – United States Strategy on Countering Corruption (whitehouse.gov) (last visited on June 29,2023)
[6] Id at 3
[7] United states strategy on countering Corruption, available at: Microsoft Word – United States Strategy on Countering Corruption (whitehouse.gov) (last visited on June 29,2023)
[8] United states strategy on countering Corruption, available at: Microsoft Word – United States Strategy on Countering Corruption (whitehouse.gov) (last visited on June 29,2023)
[9] United states strategy on countering Corruption, available at: Microsoft Word – United States Strategy on Countering Corruption (whitehouse.gov) (last visited on June 29,2023)
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