Foreign agent
Encyclopedia
A foreign agent is anyone who actively carries out the interests of a foreign country while located in another host country, but generally outside the protections offered to those working in their official capacity for a diplomatic mission
. Foreign agents may be citizens
of the host country. The term has broad application but in contemporary English
has a generally pejorative
connotation.
A covert foreign agent, also known as a secret agent of a foreign government, may in some countries be presumed to be engaging in espionage
. Some countries have formal procedures to legalize the activities of foreign agents acting overtly. An example is the United States law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act
(FARA), the governing statute of which contains a wide-ranging and detailed definition of "foreign agent."
Laws covering foreign agents vary widely from country to country, and selective enforcement
may prevail within countries, based on perceived national interest
. For example, FARA is sometimes accused of being used to target countries out of favor with an administration.
Diplomatic mission
A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one state or an international inter-governmental organisation present in another state to represent the sending state/organisation in the receiving state...
. Foreign agents may be citizens
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
of the host country. The term has broad application but in contemporary English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
has a generally pejorative
Pejorative
Pejoratives , including name slurs, are words or grammatical forms that connote negativity and express contempt or distaste. A term can be regarded as pejorative in some social groups but not in others, e.g., hacker is a term used for computer criminals as well as quick and clever computer experts...
connotation.
A covert foreign agent, also known as a secret agent of a foreign government, may in some countries be presumed to be engaging in espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
. Some countries have formal procedures to legalize the activities of foreign agents acting overtly. An example is the United States law, the Foreign Agents Registration Act
Foreign Agents Registration Act
The Foreign Agents Registration Act is a United States law passed in 1938 requiring that agents representing the interests of foreign powers be properly identified to the American public. The act was passed in response to German propaganda in the lead-up to World War II...
(FARA), the governing statute of which contains a wide-ranging and detailed definition of "foreign agent."
Laws covering foreign agents vary widely from country to country, and selective enforcement
Selective enforcement
Selective enforcement is the ability that executors of the law have to arbitrarily select choice individuals as being outside of the law...
may prevail within countries, based on perceived national interest
National interest
The national interest, often referred to by the French expression raison d'État , is a country's goals and ambitions whether economic, military, or cultural. The concept is an important one in international relations where pursuit of the national interest is the foundation of the realist...
. For example, FARA is sometimes accused of being used to target countries out of favor with an administration.