Why the Balkans Attract Shadowy Influence

What unites Rudy Giuliani and Hunter Biden? According to the New York Times reporter Kenneth Vogel, they are both on the payroll of corrupt foreign interests. In his new book, Devils’ Advocates, Vogel reveals the hidden story of Giuliani, Biden and the other Washington insiders who sold access to American foreign policy. From the Balkans to Brazil, shadowy foreign players have discovered that the path to influencing Washington runs through well-connected Americans willing to take their money. Vogel exposes how shadowy figures like lobbyist Robert Stryk—who has openly admitted that he’d work for Kim Jong-un or the Taliban if they paid—have turned foreign influence into a lucrative industry. The Trump family’s multi-billion-dollar cryptocurrency ventures and Hunter Biden’s Romanian land deals represent the same often questionably legal phenomenon: foreign interests paying for perceived access to power. As enforcement weakens and the regulatory regime loosens, this shadow diplomacy system is shaping U.S. foreign policy in ways that rarely receive scrutiny, despite laws designed to ensure transparency. From Ukraine and the Republic of Srpska to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, Washington insiders are shaping US foreign policy in ways that benefit corrupt foreign interests rather than the American people.

1. Foreign Influence Is Bipartisan The corruption isn’t limited to one party. Hunter Biden and Rudy Giuliani both profited from foreign interests seeking access to American power, proving this is a systemic problem that transcends partisan politics.

2. Trump’s Transactional Approach Created More Access Points Trump’s openly transactional style and willingness to upend traditional diplomatic channels opened unprecedented opportunities for foreign interests to buy influence through his family’s cryptocurrency ventures and close associates—potentially on a scale never seen before.

3. The Scandal Is What’s Legal Most of this activity doesn’t violate laws—that’s the problem. As long as lobbyists register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, they can work for almost anyone. The system’s weaknesses allow personally enriching behavior that contradicts American ideals about democracy and human rights.

4. Small Countries, Big Money, Global Implications Even minor players like the Republic of Srpska and Albania spend millions on Washington lobbyists. Their goals aren’t just local—they’re reshaping the world order, challenging NATO, international treaties, and aligning U.S. policy with interests favorable to Russia and China.

5. Enforcement Is Weakening When It Should Strengthen At the very moment foreign interests are pouring more money into influence campaigns, enforcement is going in the opposite direction. Attorney General Pam Bondi—herself a former foreign lobbyist for Qatar—has moved to decriminalize enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act, the primary tool for regulating foreign lobbying.

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