Apco: In mercenaries we trust
By Tian Chua
In this dynamic and ever-changing world, Apco Worldwide stands tall as the giant of the lobbying industry. The firm, in its own words, offers “professional and rare expertise” to governments, politicians and corporations, and is always ready to help clients to sail through troubled waters in the complex world of both international and domestic affairs.
Malaysia isn’t Apco’s only client. In my last article, I described Apco’s relationship with homeland security and risk management consultancy firm Asero Worldwide. Asero is almost like a retirement home for ex-Mossad and ex-Shabak secret services officials.
Going through Apco’s record, it is amazing to see the audacity of the company in being so consistently and persistently opposed to the cause of social justice.
Dressing up dictators
As we all know Apco and its strategic partner Asero serve Israel and its Zionist agenda. On the international stage, Apco in particular is well known for assisting dictatorships across the globe.
Gujarat’s Hindu nationalist Chief Minister Narendra Modi hired Apco as image consultant in August 2007. The BJP politician was implicated in the religious riots that killed some 1,000 people.
Besides anti-Muslim chief minister Modi, APCO is well-known for running public relations campaigns for disgraced politicians.
In the mid-90s, the company was contracted by former Nigerian president-for-life Sani Abacha. Apco represented the dictator when the regime clamped down on a popular uprising and executed 9 pro-democracy activists, including the famous environmentalist-artist Ken Saro-Wiwa.
After the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, Apco found new fortunes in Russia, Eastern European states and Central Asia.
Ken Silverstein, the editor of Harper’s Magazine (June 30, 2007) described Apco lobbyists as the “crucial conduit through which pariah regimes advance their interests in Washington”. He exposed APCO’s specialised experience in working on behalf of authoritarian regimes such as Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan.
In China, Apco helps Israeli firms to do business. In one of its brochures, Apco advertised that: “Apco will conduct and guide a participant through locating and screening processes relating to a potential business partner or a participant’s potential China distributors, integrators, agents, suppliers or competitors.”
Beating the war drum
Doing public relations for dictatorships is perhaps the more charitable part of Apco’s activities. Apco has a battalion of pro-war lobbyists under its wing. The firm is also a strong advocate of expanding armaments and the US military role in world affairs.
In October 2004, Apco and Kissinger Associates (owned by Henry Kissinger) formed a strategic alliance. Beside Kissinger Associates, Apco also built a broad network or coalition of conservative pro-Zionist lobbyists and consultancy groups including Heritage Foundation, Frontier of Freedom, Jewish Policy Center, etc.
In the name of war against terror, Apco helped to coordinate government communications to convince the public of the necessity of war. Its job also included manufacturing public opinion and feedback in supporting the war efforts. Basically it exploited Islam-phobia in Western society to sell aggression as the solution to regain security in the West.
In addition to supporting George Bush (right in photo), Apco also defended British prime minister Tony Blair’s unpopular move to enter the Iraq war. Apco had assisted Tony Blair (left in photo) to consolidate the war alliance. Together with the London-based Foreign Policy Institute, Apco prepared and published the pamphlet, ‘A Global Alliance for Global Values’ in which Blair declared:
“We must commit ourselves to a complete renaissance of our strategy to defeat those that threaten us.”
After the invasion of Iraq, Apco swiftly positioned itself to help American companies plunder Iraqi wealth and resources. In May 2003, Apco Worldwide launched a task force headed by Marc Ginsberg, the former US ambassador to Morocco, to help U.S. clients secure contracts for Iraq’s rebuilding.
