Russian lobbying in the United States: Stages of evolution

Abstract

The article examines Russian lobbying in the US. The endogenous and exogenous factors of Russian lobbying are analyzed as well as its qualitative and quantitative characteristics. The article depicts stages of Russian lobbying development: (i) from government to private entities; (ii) nongovernmental lobbying; and (iii) a return to government. Additionally, occasional attempts by Russian entities to secure funding from the US budget are mentioned. Two case studies are studied to show the nature of current Russian lobbying in the US: lobbying campaigns by Techsnabexport, state-owned corporation, and GML, a private business concern. The article concludes that Russian lobbying in the US is weak. At the beginning, it was mostly about investment consulting, and with the rise in oil prices and the decrease in political freedom, the need for and availability of lobbying diminished. Some private corporations were nationalized under President Putin and, as a result, lost control over their international expansion strategies, with the remaining private corporations being afraid of independent lobbying campaigns abroad. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.