The Rising Influence of Rising Affluence

[OakesCS]

He was uncomfortable having to admit that the USA was the good guy in this. I guess the message hasnt got out in the third world with the usual press bias.

i think you could broaden those criticisms to include the liberal, anti-oil folk in the US. Whenever an oil or oil service company is accused of FCPA violations it gets trotted out as yet another example of how evil these companies are. Most folks don't have the slightest idea how 'grey' the difference is between bribery and paying legal 'expediting' fees in many oil producing (and intermediary) countries. I feel sorry for the guys that have to deal with that sort of stuff because i suspect their jobs must constantly be hanging by a thread. They're sandwiched between the demands of the customer (who is often the local gov't), company requirements on both job performance and ethical practices, and US law. US law can't just be skirted by hiring some local guy working for a shell company or as an independent contractor to handle the importing. If the equipment or material can be tied to the US in any way (e.g. thru US patents, parts, testing, etc), then i think US law applies to the production or service company providing or using the equipment. Very messy business