International activities of German political foundations and American philanthropic funds. A comparative analysis

Abstract

The paper is aimed at investigating the influence of political foundations upon internal and external policy of a state, analyzing place and role of foundations in international relations. The relevance of the topic under investigation is stipulated by the expansion of semi-official and guerilla diplomacy instruments in governments’ external policy toolkits, which are widely financed by political foundations. The paper deals with the development of contemporary political foundations of the USA and Germany, including comparative analysis of performance features. The classification of foundation functions in the context of international relations is introduced. A conclusion is drawn that German political foundations are designed according to a model of a ministry of foreign affairs with the elements of a political party whereas a typical American philanthropic foundation is based on a model of a business corporation. German representatives tend to be present on the spot, continuously make contacts and keep track of local developments. The Americans apply project-based approach, and aim at creating NGOs or partnerships geared towards concrete actions or tasks making claims for international legitimacy. Foundations in Germany and the US are different in terms of funding models, degree of governmental involvement, scale and methods both serve as proxies and commentators of ruling elites' ideology contributing to foreign policy aims of their countries of origin. Foundations due to distancing from official diplomacy and legal autonomy (although activities of major foundations are frequently adjusted to the policy of a state of origin) achieve a wide room for maneuver. They penetrate into foreign societies and exert influence over sensitive spheres of modern statehood, such as education, domestic policy, expert community, media, etc. Hence a great deal of ties and points of influence “from inside” upon social and power structures of a foreign country are shaped, and could be exploited to further interests of a state of foundations’ origin. Experience of Western foundations is actively employed by other states and organizations, including non-Western. A range of tools could be applied for the strengthening of bilateral and multilateral cooperation within the framework of the Eurasian integration project of Russia according to the principles of mutuality and inclusivity.