Diplomacy Matters. Why Anticorruption Belongs on the Foreign Policy Agenda and How to Convince the Skeptics

Abstract

The fight against corruption is notably absent from the foreign policy agendas of OECD states. This discussion paper argues that anticorruption must become a pivotal focus in foreign policy, transcending the realm of development policy, to which it is often confined. It advances three arguments. First, anticorruption in global governance will not be effective when limited to technical reforms. The sobering conclusions from the vast academic literature on the impact of governance reforms suggests that technical interventions alone have limited reach in the countries that are most affected by corruption. Instead, recent studies explain historical advances in curbing corruption by genuinely political processes. Only foreign policy can generate political will and force multilateral action and should therefore augment the international anticorruption arsenal. The second argument emphasizes reasons why foreign affairs policymakers ought to take note. Corruption presents direct challenges to the foreign policy interests of “normative powers” such as the United States, the European Union and its Member States. It fundamentally undermines the very model of rule-based international order and regional stability that these powers seek to promote amidst rising challenges. Corruption furthermore threatens international peace and disadvantages firms seeking to invest abroad. The third argument seeks to refute commonly held views by foreign affairs policymakers on why diplomacy cannot address corruption. The paper argues that practical and effective levers are available to diplomats and international organizations to address corruption in domestic contexts. Three examples are briefly discussed in the paper to advance discussion on this topic: (1) The Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) and similar standards as mechanisms to induce change by committing states to processes instead of indicators;(2) The Liberia Governance and Economic Management Assistance Program (GEMAP) as an example of how public financial management reform can and should be prioritized in stabilization missions in fragile and post-conflict environments;(3) The recent indictments of high-ranking FIFA soccer officials in the United States and the United Nations Convention Against Corruption as examples of how states can become stewards of global norms, raising global awareness and increasing the risks for those engaging in grand corruption.