MIDDLE EAST RESPONSE TO THE U.S. FOREIGN CORRUPT PRACTICES ACT.

The article examines the response of the Middle East to the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 (FCPA) and the impact of the law on foreign relations. The author focuses on the premises for the opposition to FCPA by tracing the impact of the law and its subsequent investigations on the world. The author examines whether allegations of moral imperialism were correct and if they in fact had an effect on patterns of scandals and on government-announced cleanups of corruption. It has been investigated whether or not FCPA is appropriate, given current values in the developing world. The study also looks at cleanups-government announcements of intention to curb or eliminate corruption. Prior to 1975, cleanup campaigns were relatively rare. From 1975 on, many cleanups were announced by incumbent heads of state. These announcements were made significant by the implied assumption that corruption carried with it a negative connotation. It has been pointed out that during this period, the number of cleanups grew most likely as a result of increased government revenues and purchasing power. The greater purchasing power probably caused bribe inflations to escalate.