{"id":168536,"date":"2015-06-19T20:09:29","date_gmt":"2015-06-19T20:09:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/"},"modified":"2021-10-29T12:24:29","modified_gmt":"2021-10-29T08:24:29","slug":"how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n To see how foreign interests distort reality to steer political debate and influence American foreign policy, look no further than a Dec. 5, 2012, meeting in the US Congress chaired by then-Rep.\u00a0Dan Burton, R-Indiana.\n<\/p>\n

\n The meeting was of the House subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia, and the star witness was\u00a0Brenda Shaffer, a Ph.D. specialist on the Caucasus and former research director of Harvard\u2019s Caspian Studies Program.\n<\/p>\n

\n Burton introduced her as \u201cthe prettiest gal at the table.\u201d And she, in turn, proceeded to
\n
\n
\n
\n warn assembled lawmakers
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0that Iran was destabilizing pro-Western countries in that region, particularly its small but oil-rich neighbor, Azerbaijan.\n<\/p>\n

\n But Burton and Shaffer both had ties to Azerbaijan they did not tell the committee about.\n<\/p>\n

\n Shortly after this hearing was held, Burton resigned from the House and started a new job as chairman of the board of the Azerbaijan America Alliance, a lobby group promoting closer ties between the countries and apparently funded by a family close to the president of
\n
\n
\n
\n Azerbaijan
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n Shaffer continued to praise Azerbaijan in other Congressional appearances, in numerous editorials and news articles, and in work with US think tanks.\n<\/p>\n

\n Documents filed with the Department of Justice under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) less than two months before her 2012 testimony show that The DCI Group, a lobbying firm then
\n
\n
\n
\n under contract with Azerbaijan\u2019s embassy in Washington
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n , briefed her before her committee appearance.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n The firm is noted for pushing out its clients\u2019 messages via seemingly neutral and independent third parties in a quest to \u201c
\n
\n
\n
\n dominate the entire intellectual environment
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n \u00a0in which officials make policy decisions\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n This more subtle approach to influencing lawmakers builds on more traditional methods, such as the all-expense-paid trip to Baku in 2013 for 10 members of Congress and
\n
\n
\n
\n 32 staff members
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0revealed by the Washington Post.\n<\/p>\n

\n But the goal is the same: DCI specifically identifies
\n
\n
\n
\n legislators as a target group for \u201cinformational materials\u201d
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0about Azerbaijan in its Foreign Agents filings.\n<\/p>\n

\n The DCI Group\u2019s contract with the embassy spelled out how for US$ 20,000 a month it could craft and place op-eds in major online and traditional news outlets, develop a core group of think tanks for outreach, and \u201cdefine new topics for positive engagement that parallel Azerbaijan’s strategic goals\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n Call it idea laundering.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n
\n Shaffer\u2019s Ties with Azerbaijan and Israel
\n <\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n DCI officials and Shaffer both declined to comment for this story about their interactions, including whether Shaffer got paid for her testimony or is being paid still.\n<\/p>\n

\n But under the heading of \u201cactivities to influence U.S. policies on behalf of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan\u201d, DCI Group
\n
\n
\n
\n reported the following interactions with Shaffer
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n :\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cDescription: Email to Dr. Brenda Shaffer, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, University of Haifa and Georgetown University on October 10, 2012, regarding a white paper examining Iran’s footprint in the South Caucasus and its ties to Armenia and the importance of Azerbaijan. Met with her on December 5, 2012, to introduce her to media. Also held meeting with her on February 5, 2013, to discuss possible future writings on Azerbaijan issues.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n Shaffer did write on that topic;
\n
\n
\n
\n the written statement she submitted
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0to Burton\u2019s subcommittee was entitled: \u201cIranian Influence in the South Caucasus and the Surrounding Region\u201d. At the bottom, she portrayed herself as an independent academic scholar. And in a Congressional \u201cTruth in Testimony\u201d
\n
\n d
\n
\n
\n isclosure form she submitted
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/a>
\n \u00a0before testifying, Shaffer left blank the field \u201cOrganization or organizations you are representing\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n Still, on the same day of her testimony, the DCI Group reported meeting her \u201cto introduce her to the media\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n Aside from DCI, records show that Shaffer has worked as an advisor to SOCAR, the state-owned State Oil Company of Azerbaijan.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n Neither Shaffer nor SOCAR responded to emails asking for details on their relationship, including the start date of her contract. She did not reveal anything of her deal to the congressmen she addressed.\n<\/p>\n

\n Her work for the
\n
\n
\n
\n notoriously corrupt
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0company closely tied to Azerbaijan\u2019s regime became public knowledge when the media obtained a copy of her SOCAR business card, and
\n
\n
\n
\n broke the story
\n <\/a>
\n <\/i>
\n <\/b>
\n \u00a0in September 2014.\n<\/p>\n

\n Shaffer has also advised Israeli government bodies, including its committee on natural gas policy. She also belongs to the Steering Committee that
\n
\n
\n
\n oversees the master plan of Israel\u2019s energy sector
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n Azerbaijan\u2019s and Israel\u2019s interests are so strongly aligned on many issues that diplomats from the two nations recently
\n
\n
\n
\n conducted a joint lobbying tour
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0of Jewish communities in the US. During that tour, the Israeli ambassador to Baku, echoing a standard theme of pro-Baku lobbyists,
\n
\n
\n
\n praised Azerbaijan as a model of tolerance
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0because its government does not persecute its small Jewish minority.\n<\/p>\n

\n Shaffer also was silent about her SOCAR ties last July when she testified before the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and gave a
\n
\n
\n
\n written statement
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0urging support for a natural gas pipeline project in Azerbaijan. She said this project would thwart Moscow, improve the security of Europe\u2019s energy supply, and provide tens of thousands of jobs.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n
\n Weak Disclosure Requirements for Lobbyists
\n <\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n The
\n
\n
\n
\n prime purpose
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0of the Congressional \u201cTruth in Testimony\u201d form is to disclose federal grants and contracts rather than broader conflicts of interest, so Shaffer\u2019s omission of her outside interests probably won\u2019t have legal consequences.\n<\/p>\n

\n Moves to close this loophole for lobbyists have had limited success.\n<\/p>\n

\n Rep. Jackie Speier, D-CA
\n
\n
\n
\n recently proposed
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0a rule requiring some Congressional witnesses to disclose funding from foreign governments. \u201cThe American people have a reasonable expectation that these links will be transparent and allow for the appearance of a conflict of interest to be aired publicly,\u201d she
\n
\n
\n
\n told a House Rules subcommittee
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n In early January, the House adopted Speier\u2019s suggestions, but they are unclear and untested. Under the new rules Shaffer would have to disclose SOCAR money if she was testifying in \u201cnongovernmental capacity,\u201d that is as representative of a think tank or an NGO. But if she testified as a university professor, probably not. As another complication, SOCAR is a state-owned enterprise, not a government per se.\n<\/p>\n

\n To really close the loopholes, Bill Allison, editorial director of the Sunlight Foundation, suggests that witnesses be required to list \u201call sources of earned income of more than, say, $10,000 over the last two years\u201d.\n<\/p>\n

\n FARA, the
\n
\n
\n
\n Foreign Agents Registration Act
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0that bans lobbying for foreign clients without officially registering as their agent, also can be gotten around easily. Shaffer has not registered under FARA, but SOCAR has RESTORE LINK HERE as have nine other Azerbaijani players,
\n
\n
\n
\n including Anar Mammadov
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n , an oligarch
\n
\n
\n
\n closely tied to the IIham Aliyev\u2019s regime
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n Allison, asked whether Shaffer might have violated FARA, said \u201c[T]here isn\u2019t enough information to say either way. It depends on what she is doing as an adviser to SOCAR.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cIf she\u2019s in any way facilitating meetings between SOCAR employees and U.S. government officials, if she\u2019s writing articles that advance SOCAR\u2019s interests, then she should register with FARA. If she\u2019s just recommending restaurants in Georgetown\u2026 That said, the fact that she\u2019s testifying before Congress and no doubt has had many other contacts with congressional staff (you don\u2019t just show up at a hearing), and that she\u2019s paid by SOCAR, either she or SOCAR (since they are registered and are paying her) should disclose her contacts with those officials. But whether she has to under the law is difficult to say.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\n Experts have long noted that FARA is
\n
\n
\n
\n riddled with ambiguities and loopholes
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n . For example, the
\n
\n
\n
\n powerful Armenian lobby
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0flies completely under the FARA radar. Once described by an insider as the
\n
\n
\n
\n third most effective foreign lobby
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0in D.C., it is largely financed by American citizens of Armenian descent, but routinely promotes what it sees as the national interests of Armenia.
\n
\n
\n
\n Not a single entity
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0seems to have filed a return under FARA to report lobbying on Armenia\u2019s behalf. Similarly, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), arguably the most powerful foreign policy lobby group in D.C.,
\n
\n
\n
\n does not file FARA returns
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n despite calls on the Department of Justice to
\n
\n
\n
\n compel it to do so
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n A recent letter from Rep. Frank R. Wolf, R-Virginia, called on the Justice Department to
\n
\n
\n
\n review its enforcement of FARA
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0this year and to consider possible changes.\n<\/p>\n

\n Allison said his group would like to see \u201celectronic filing, better specific requirements of what has to be reported when making contacts and how it has to be reported and other improvements to the disclosure system.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\n
\n Think Tanks as Tools for Foreign Influence
\n <\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n Think tanks
\n
\n
\n
\n have assumed an important role
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0in Azerbaijan\u2019s lobbying strategy along with lawmakers and editorials. Azerbaijan has long been
\n
\n
\n
\n one of the top foreign spenders
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n \u00a0on lobbying in D.C., with some of that
\n
\n
\n
\n money flowing directly into think tanks
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n .\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThere\u2019s a noticeable change in Azerbaijan\u2019s lobbying,\u201d comments
\n
\n
\n
\n Gerald Robbins
\n <\/a>
\n <\/b>
\n <\/i>
\n , a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute who specializes in Turkey, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. \u201cA new generation, educated in Western marketing methodology has taken the reins [in Baku]. They understand that academia and think tanks are important contact points for conveying ideas.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Lobbying and idea laundering are slow and gradual processes, political observers say. Both are intended to change minds and open thinking to new ideas \u2013 those of the lobbyist, of course. Yet it is impossible to measure exactly the effect of any isolated lobbying effort such as Shaffer\u2019s or the DCI Group.\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n *This article was originally published on the ‘Free Khadija’ site\u00a0https:\/\/www.occrp.org\/freekhadijaismayilova\/stories\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-US.php
\n <\/i>\n <\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Azerbaijan has long been one of the top foreign spenders on lobbying in Washington D.C., with some of that money flowing directly into think tanks. Think tanks have assumed an important role in Azerbaijan\u2019s lobbying strategy along with lawmakers and editorials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":27318,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US - MEYDAN.TV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US - MEYDAN.TV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Azerbaijan has long been one of the top foreign spenders on lobbying in Washington D.C., with some of that money flowing directly into think tanks. Think tanks have assumed an important role in Azerbaijan\u2019s lobbying strategy along with lawmakers and editorials.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MEYDAN.TV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-06-19T20:09:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-29T08:24:29+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/10093.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"304\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"user-manager\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"user-manager\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/10d11eccf6da3662cf5fdab9806ea91a\"},\"headline\":\"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-19T20:09:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-29T08:24:29+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1588,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/10093.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/\",\"name\":\"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US - MEYDAN.TV\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/10093.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2015-06-19T20:09:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-10-29T08:24:29+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/10093.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/10093.jpg\",\"width\":500,\"height\":304},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/article\\\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/section\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"MEYDAN.TV\",\"description\":\"Meydan TV Az\u0259rbaycan\u0131n media m\u0259kan\u0131ndak\u0131 alternativ s\u0259sidir\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Meydan TV\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/meydan-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/meydan-logo.svg\",\"width\":195,\"height\":46,\"caption\":\"Meydan TV\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.meydan.tv\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/10d11eccf6da3662cf5fdab9806ea91a\",\"name\":\"user-manager\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US - MEYDAN.TV","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US - MEYDAN.TV","og_description":"Azerbaijan has long been one of the top foreign spenders on lobbying in Washington D.C., with some of that money flowing directly into think tanks. Think tanks have assumed an important role in Azerbaijan\u2019s lobbying strategy along with lawmakers and editorials.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/","og_site_name":"MEYDAN.TV","article_published_time":"2015-06-19T20:09:29+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-10-29T08:24:29+00:00","og_image":[{"width":500,"height":304,"url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/10093.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"user-manager","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/"},"author":{"name":"user-manager","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/10d11eccf6da3662cf5fdab9806ea91a"},"headline":"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US","datePublished":"2015-06-19T20:09:29+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-29T08:24:29+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/"},"wordCount":1588,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/10093.jpg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/","name":"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US - MEYDAN.TV","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/10093.jpg","datePublished":"2015-06-19T20:09:29+00:00","dateModified":"2021-10-29T08:24:29+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/10093.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/10093.jpg","width":500,"height":304},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/how-azerbaijan-manipulates-public-opinion-in-the-us\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0430\u044f","item":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/section\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How Azerbaijan manipulates public opinion in the US"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/","name":"MEYDAN.TV","description":"Meydan TV Az\u0259rbaycan\u0131n media m\u0259kan\u0131ndak\u0131 alternativ s\u0259sidir","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#organization","name":"Meydan TV","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/meydan-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/meydan-logo.svg","width":195,"height":46,"caption":"Meydan TV"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/10d11eccf6da3662cf5fdab9806ea91a","name":"user-manager"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168536","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168536"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168536\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":214593,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168536\/revisions\/214593"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168536"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168536"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168536"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}