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Ben Freeman

Ben Freeman is the director of the Foreign Influence Transparency Initiative at the Center for International Policy.

Truthout
Dec 10, 2017
Latest from Ben Freeman
Foreign powers have a remarkably direct way of making sure their voices are heard in Washington. Their lobbyists script what various members of Congress say.
News Analysis
Politics & Elections

The Perfectly Legal Ways Foreign Powers Subvert US Democracy

The U.S. is more susceptible to foreign meddling now than it has been in decades — and most of it is legal.
by
Ryan Summers &
Ben Freeman,
TomDispatch
November 12, 2019
Truthout
Soldiers stand around a tank in front of the Lincoln Memorial
News Analysis
Economy & Labor

No, Trump, More Dollars to the Defense Sector Don’t Mean More Jobs

If job creation is your metric of choice, Pentagon contractors are a bad taxpayer investment.
by
Nia Harris,
Cassandra Stimpson &
Ben Freeman,
TomDispatch
August 5, 2019
Truthout
"I've never had to worry in my years at CAP about an analyst or me saying X, Y, and Z and worry about a funding source. Never thought about it. Never," explained Brian Katulis of the Center for American Progress (CAP). CAP has received millions of dollars from authoritarian governments in the Middle East.
News Analysis
Politics & Elections

Saudi Arabia and UAE Fund Think Tanks That Drive US Foreign Policy

Every year foreign governments pour tens of millions of dollars into Washington’s think tanks.
by
Ben Freeman,
TomDispatch
February 21, 2019
Truthout
A boy walks by a house destroyed in an airstrike carried out by a Saudi-led coalition warplane in 2018 in Sana'a, Yemen.
War & Peace

How Saudi Money Keeps Washington at War in Yemen

US foreign policy is increasingly determined by Saudi-paid lobbyists.
by
Ben Freeman,
TomDispatch
October 4, 2018
Truthout
Donald Trump, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (2nd L) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (L) put their hands on an illuminated globe during the inauguration ceremony of the Global Center for Combating Extremist Ideology in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 21, 2017.
War & Peace

Arms and Influence: How Saudi Leaders Took Donald Trump for a Ride

In the case of Saudi Arabia, a major change of course would be advisable.
by
Ben Freeman &
William D. Hartung,
TomDispatch
May 10, 2018
Truthout
News Analysis
War & Peace

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the Most Expensive Weapon Ever

Tom Cruise steps onto the tarmac – cool and confident in his flight suit and dark aviator glasses. This is “Top Gun 2,” and the fighter plane he’s…
by
Ben Freeman,
Truthout
May 19, 2012
Truthout
News Analysis

Today’s Military: The Most Top-Heavy Force in US History

After Thanksgiving, waistlines aren't the only things that are bloated—the Pentagon's top ranks are fattening at an alarming rate. Despite a plan set forth by former…
by
Ben Freeman,
The Project on Government Oversight Blog
December 1, 2011
Truthout
Op-Ed

Foreign Influence: Inappropriate for Lawmakers Tasked With Shrinking the Deficit

In his presidential farewell address, George Washington offered this warning to the young nation: “Against the insidious wiles of foreign influence…the jealousy of a free people ought to…
by
Ben Freeman,
Other Words Blog
November 10, 2011
Truthout
News

Dear Super Committee: Defense Contractors are “Second to None” In Wasteful Spending

No other country in the world comes close to the amount the US spends on defense funding. (Photo: melanieburger)
by
Ben Freeman,
Project on Government Oversight
August 29, 2011
Truthout

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