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Casey Michel

Casey Michel is the head of the Combating Kleptocracy Program at the Human Rights Foundation. He is the author of American Kleptocracy, and his writing has appeared in Foreign Affairs, ThinkProgress, The Atlantic, Politico, and The Washington Post, among others.

All Articles
May 12, 2023
The Soapbox
Biden Is Letting Think Tanks and Dodgy Foreign Funders Get Cozy Again
One of the only good transparency innovations of the Trump era has come to a quiet end.
March 2, 2023
The Soapbox
Alexei Navalny’s Big Shift on Crimea Is a Blow to Putin’s Imperial Designs
For the first time, liberal opposition to the Ukraine invasion is beginning to reckon with Russia’s tattered empire—and a future without it.
December 26, 2022
The Soapbox
Kleptocrat of the Year: Mohammed bin Salman
This was the year the Saudi strongman was supposed to become a pariah. Instead, he’s gotten away with murder.
December 16, 2022
The Soapbox
Russia’s Colonized Populations Can Do Without All the “Westsplaining”
Any discussion of the region’s future shouldn’t give short shrift to the possibility of new nations emerging from under Putin’s yoke.
October 4, 2022
The Soapbox
Alexei Navalny Has a Crimea Problem
Putin’s most courageous and dogged opponent has been coy about whether the disputed region is part of Ukraine or Russia—and Ukrainians have taken note.
September 16, 2022
The Soapbox
The West May Get a Second Chance to Nurture a New Russia
With Ukraine seizing momentum in the war, the time is ripe for Western political leaders to ponder a post-Putin future—and how to avoid the mistakes that ushered in his dictatorship.
August 31, 2022
The Soapbox
The Failed Dream of Mikhail Gorbachev
The late Soviet premier is popularly regarded as a leader who ushered in a new era. The more complicated truth is that he failed to fully extricate himself from the old one.
August 4, 2022
The Soapbox
The Kleptocrat Who Bankrolled Rudy Guiliani’s Dive for Dirt on Biden
Fresh reporting illuminates the role that Dmitro Firtash played in funding the operation that would end in Trump's first impeachment.
July 18, 2022
The Soapbox
The One Issue That Unites Washington
Democrats and Republicans alike are finally putting the screws to kleptocrats—and their American enablers.
June 27, 2022
The Soapbox
Congress Takes Aim at Think Tanks and Their Corrupt Money
A new piece of bipartisan legislation seeks to purge This Town of foreign influence peddling—all of it.
May 12, 2022
The Soapbox
Ukraine’s Corrupt Oligarchs Are Looking Toward the West to Rehab Their Reputations
Some of the grifters who paved the way for the Russian invasion of Ukraine want to be seen as being on the right side of the war.
April 27, 2022
The Soapbox
Representative Steve Cohen Wants to Build a New Weapon to Fight Kleptocrats
British lawyers have long helped corrupt oligarchs protect their ill-gotten loot. The Tennessee Democrat wants to hold these enablers to account.
April 20, 2022
The Soapbox
Jared Kushner’s Saudi Scam Is the Swampiest Thing He’s Ever Done
Trump’s son-in-law may be the hot new player in Washington’s seamy influence-peddling game, but he’s following in the footsteps of many of the Beltway’s major players.
March 1, 2022
The Soapbox
How Belarus Became Putin’s Lackey
The Kremlin propped up Aleksandr Lukashenko after Belarusians tried to oust him from office. He’s now dragged his nation into the Ukraine invasion.
February 22, 2022
The Soapbox
Vladimir Putin’s Empire of Delusions
In a lengthy screed, the Russian dictator made it clear that his ambitions are to restore his nation’s status as a colonizer of Europe.
February 15, 2022
The Soapbox
How the West Botched Ukraine
It wasn’t the drive to bring security to Europe that led to the brink of war. It was providing corrupt autocrats with secure havens for their stolen loot.
January 26, 2022
The Soapbox
Azerbaijani Kleptocrats Have Been Getting Their Money’s Worth in Washington for a Long Time
Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar’s not the only lawmaker illicitly involved with the regime, he’s just the one who (maybe) got caught.
January 12, 2022
The Soapbox
The End of America’s Kazakhstan Delusion
Long sold as an island of stability in a sea of chaos, the nation has collapsed into misrule, requiring swift action against its kleptocratic rulers.
December 27, 2021
The Soapbox
It’s Put Up or Shut Up Time in the Fight Against Global Corruption
Biden ended 2021 advancing some much needed measures to battle foreign kleptocrats. Next year, he can win the war.
November 4, 2021
The Soapbox
Biden’s Plan to Save the IRS Is Good for Everyone but Wealthy Tax Cheats
Biden’s bill will revive a moribund and underfunded agency, cut down on corruption, and bring in a ton of revenue.

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