What’s more, America has had similar bill, the “Foreign Registration Act”, for the past six decades:
>[The Bill] requires “foreign agents”—defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, organizations, or persons (“foreign principals”)—to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and disclose their relationship, activities, and related financial compensation (*Wikipedia*)
This is a *fundamentally* unremarkable goal. Most countries want, *and should*, track foreign funds to prevent political manipulation. I suspect part of the reason these bills are so harshly attacked in Western media is, well, the EU and the United States engage in substantial political manipulation in both Hungary and Georgia. [1] One borders Russia after all.
Now, I still *oppose* the bill. Because, well, it is a threat to Western political power. Now, that power was bought with money, by funding certain media outlets, by supporting specific charities, and propagating certain visions. It’s dirty influence. It’s also, sadly, how the world works. But I’d prefer we didn’t pretend these bills are somehow super evil and illogical.
Let us actually discuss the underlying reasons for our opposition to such laws instead of relying on abstract euphemisms.
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[1]: This is speculation. But given the surprising amount of pushback and America’s history, I think it’s a reasonable assumption.
Edits: Tried to fix clarity issues by apply italics like a magic band aid. Also, extracted some unnecessary sentences.
2 Comments
!ping Europe&Democracy
The bill, “On the Transparency of Public Life,” places any entities recieving foreign funding on a government watchlist. Very similar to [another bill passed in Georgia.](https://cpj.org/2025/03/georgia-parliament-very-close-to-making-harsher-foreign-agent-bill-a-law/).
Both of these bills are being painted as existential threats to democracy. I disagree. Requiring foreign funds to be tracked is perfectly reasonable, especially considering Russian, American, and Chinese influence attempts. Consider [this case in China](https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/former-premier-australias-new-south-wales-state-engaged-corrupt-conduct-inquiry-2023-06-29/). Plus, Georgia at least does struggle with money laundering [according to this random website](https://www.sanctionscanner.com/blog/major-money-laundering-countries-251).
What’s more, America has had similar bill, the “Foreign Registration Act”, for the past six decades:
>[The Bill] requires “foreign agents”—defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, organizations, or persons (“foreign principals”)—to register with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and disclose their relationship, activities, and related financial compensation (*Wikipedia*)
This is a *fundamentally* unremarkable goal. Most countries want, *and should*, track foreign funds to prevent political manipulation. I suspect part of the reason these bills are so harshly attacked in Western media is, well, the EU and the United States engage in substantial political manipulation in both Hungary and Georgia. [1] One borders Russia after all.
Now, I still *oppose* the bill. Because, well, it is a threat to Western political power. Now, that power was bought with money, by funding certain media outlets, by supporting specific charities, and propagating certain visions. It’s dirty influence. It’s also, sadly, how the world works. But I’d prefer we didn’t pretend these bills are somehow super evil and illogical.
Let us actually discuss the underlying reasons for our opposition to such laws instead of relying on abstract euphemisms.
—
[1]: This is speculation. But given the surprising amount of pushback and America’s history, I think it’s a reasonable assumption.
Edits: Tried to fix clarity issues by apply italics like a magic band aid. Also, extracted some unnecessary sentences.