- Knives are out for AFPI's Brooke Rollins. [New NYT article on AFPI: "The Group at the Center of Trump's Planning for a Second Term is One You Haven't Heard of."]
- Pinpoint Policy Institute: "An organization dedicated to promoting and defending the essential pillars of America's economic growth and prosperity."
- Former Project 2025 chief Paul Dans condemning what he sees as "violent rhetoric" from Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts and calling on JD Vance to retract the foreword he wrote for Roberts's book.
- Think Tank American Compass charts path for China tariffs.
- Pakistani think tank, The Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), has hired Team Eagle Consulting, a US lobbying firm, for $1.5 million.
- Michael Pettis: The think tanker (American Compass) and former punk-music-club and record-label owner who has gotten the attention of the Trump and Biden camps.
- Fujitsu Future Studies Center (FFSC): "A think tank bolstering the formulation and execution of the Fujitsu Group's medium and long-term strategies."
- Grantham Institute: "A think tank at the London School of Economics."
- Since 2012, a company linked to the UAE government has paid Camstoll Group more than $75 million. In its annual disclosures, the firm says it advises the UAE on issues of illicit financial activity and developing and implementing strategies to combat illicit financial activity. Its most recent filing mentions that it has "conducted outreach to think tanks, business interests, and government officials."
- Flashback: The late Joseph Overton, of Overton Window fame, played a key role in growing the Mackinac Center.
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Think Tank Quickies (#507)
Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Trump Fires Wilson Center Board Member
Think Tank Quickies (#506)
- Trump's transition operation compiled lists of names of people deemed unworthy of serving in a 2nd Trump Administration, including conservatives linked to Project 2025.
- Conservative think tank targeting NASA employees' communications about Musk, Trump.
- Conservative war of words erupts over Project 2025, with Trump transition team vowing not to tap "radioactive" recruits.
- Porn industry targets Project 2025.
- Heritage Foundation's record requests rattle feds.
- Steve Yates is returning to Heritage Foundation after a stint at AFPI.
- Project 2025 director did not resign - he was fired.
- Ngor Luong joined the State Department as the CSET Fellow to work on tech and China policy in the Office of the Chief Economist.
- Former Trump national security aides, including think tankers, endorse him.
- The Saratoga Foundation: "A new non-profit organization based in Washington, DC, dedicated to conducting research and analysis on conflict and instability in Eurasia." Glen Howard, former president of The Jamestown Foundation, is the president and chairman.
Friday, January 17, 2025
New Report on Think Tank Funding in America
The Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft has a new report on think tank funding in America. Here is more from Politico:
Among other things, the paper says that the top 50 think tanks took in some $110 million over the past five years from foreign governments and related entities, including nearly $17 million from the United Arab Emirates, the largest single foreign donor. Leading Pentagon contractors, meanwhile, kicked in nearly $35 million over the same period.
The Atlantic Council and the Brookings Institution topped the list of foreign-government beneficiaries, taking in nearly $21 million and over $17 million, respectively. All in all, 54 different governments contributed to the industry, a list largely made up of pro-western democracies but also including fantastically wealthy authoritarian regimes like Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Most disturbingly, the report makes clear that the numbers it cites may only be partial: Unlike traditional PACs or registered foreign agents, think tanks don’t have to disclose where their money comes from. Researching the study, co-authors Ben Freeman and Nick Cleveland-Stout told me, meant poring through the organizations’ annual reports in hopes that information would be voluntarily shared.
Along with the report, the Quincy Institute launched a publicly available repository of think tank funding, the Think Tank Funding Tracker.
Ben Freeman spoke about the report on C-SPAN.
Here is a piece that Freeman and Cleveland-Stout wrote for The Hill.
Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Think Tank Quickies (#505)
- Trump-aligned think tank AFPI merges with Senate Working Group.
- CAP's answer to Project 2025.
- How Sue Mi Terry became the poster child for think tank corruption.
- Why Australia's think tanks are a growing source of covert power.
- House Democrats plan multimedia Project 2025 hearing.
- Former Project 2025 leader accuses Trump campaign advisers of malpractice.
- Project 2025, the 922-page playbook, become quite possibly the first think tank paper in American history to appear in TV spots during NFL games, naturally via a scathing negative ad.
- 100+ Republican national security figures, including think tankers, endorse Kamala Harris.
- Project 2025 mastermind allegedly told colleagues he killed a dog with a shovel.
- Walmart's think tank: Heartland Forward.