The UAE has donated millions of dollars to the Atlantic Council. They just got a fantastic op-ed from the head of a think tank.

Fred Kempe doesn’t reveal millions in UAE money in gushing article

Atlantic Council CEO Fred Kempe praised the “resource-rich, renewable power generation” United Arab Emirates this month on Jan. 14 column CNBC praised the oil-rich Gulf nation’s “utopian” plan to tackle climate change.

What he fails to mention is the sizeable donations — as much as $1 million in some years — made by Middle Eastern monarchies to the Atlantic Council. He also omitted the more troubling aspects of UAE governance. The country has a record of human rights violations, according to to the State Department, including torture, arbitrary detention and “undue restrictions on freedom of speech and the freedom of the press.”

In the article, Kempe celebrated the UN’s decision to host the annual climate change summit in Abu Dhabi and commended the UAE’s selection of Sultan Ahmed al-Jabir as UAE government minister and head of the state-owned ADNOC to oversee the global summit . Kempe called Al-Jaber the “ideal choice” to lead the meeting, dismissing climate activists who criticized Al-Jaber’s choice because he is the head of one of the Gulf region’s largest oil producers.

after washington liberty lighthouse After contacting the Atlantic Council for comment, CNBC attached a lengthy editor’s note to the article stating that “apparent conflicts of interest” had not been “disclosed” by ADNOC, a chair of the Atlantic Council’s annual energy conference. main sponsor.According to donors, the UAE embassy contributed more than $1 million to the Atlantic Council in 2021, while the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation contributed between $100,000 and $250,000 Record.

in a statement free beaconA spokesman for the Atlantic Council said the think tank “regrets[s] Proper disclosure was not made. “

“That was an oversight. This article has been updated to clarify the nature of the relationship,” the spokesperson said.

Atlantic Council, which roughly paid Kemp $700,000 In 2019, promote the UAE in other ways. In October, the think tank funded a trip by congressional aides to Abu Dhabi to meet with Emirati officials and energy industry executives, free beacon Report. The Atlantic Council hosted UAE officials at forums and other events in Washington DC and Abu Dhabi. Kempe interviews Al-Jaber at Atlantic Council event April 2021.

The think tank has previously come under scrutiny for its other foreign affairs. Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company linked to Hunter Biden, donated $300,000 to the Atlantic Council as part of the company’s efforts to repair its public image following a corruption scandal. Officials at the Atlantic Council accepted the donation even after State Department officials warned them about Burisma’s corruption. Two of Burisma’s lobbyists, Sally Painter and Karen Tramontano, served on the board of the Atlantic Council at the time.

The Turkish government, a longtime donor to the Atlantic Council, has pressured the think tank to shape its research and planning in Ankara’s favor, sources said. have told This free beacon.