One of the false positives you hear from those who want to “reform” the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which in reality means weaken or even gut it, is that it is the fault of “those people” in corrupt countries that have their hands out. It is generally along the lines that the only way to do business is to grease the palms of everyone involved. In these reformers’ next step of logic, they opine that U.S. corporations that engage in bribery and corruption are simply doing what is expected in countries outside the United States.
Such inane arguments show complete lack of understanding that the FCPA is a supply-side law that focuses on the conduct of U.S. corporations and not bribe takers. The U.S. government views enforcement of the FCPA as a vehicle in the U.S. fight against the worldwide scourge of corruption. Yet, it’s gratifying when countries with a perception of corruption take concrete steps to begin their own internal battle with corruption.
