Last week (July 12–16), Dr Ingrida Kerušauskaitė-Palmer, a researcher at the Law Institute of the Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences (LCSS), participated in the 28th World Congress of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) in Seoul, where she delivered a presentation titled “Unmasking Barriers: Practical Challenges Mitigating Strategic Corruption”.

In her presentation, she introduced the concept of strategic corruption — a deliberate, state-initiated or state-supported activity aimed at influencing other countries and advancing geopolitical goals. This form of corruption is distinct in its focus on foreign policy and subjects of international law.

Furthermore, the researcher discussed key obstacles to identifying and mitigating strategic corruption: organizational and legal gaps, lack of trust between institutions, and limited international cooperation. She emphasized that this form of corruption exploits the vulnerabilities of domestic institutions and can be used to undermine democratic governance.

Dr I. Kerušauskaitė-Palmer also addressed the tension between transparency and national security: while security services can play an effective role in combating strategic corruption, it is crucial to ensure transparency in anti-corruption measures and decision-making processes. The presentation also highlighted the difficulties in identifying long-term corruption schemes, especially those related to investments, lobbying, or control of strategic sectors.

Finally, the researcher stressed that strategic corruption is increasingly recognized as a growing part of hybrid threats to the state, posing risks to democracy and international security. Therefore, new response measures and partnerships are essential to effectively counter it.