• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Sarah Chayes"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [
    "Anti-Corruption"
  ],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "democracy",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "DCG",
  "programs": [
    "Democracy, Conflict, and Governance"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [],
  "topics": [
    "Political Reform",
    "Democracy",
    "Economy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

‘Thieves Of State’ Reveals Tremendous Power Of Global Corruption

Corruption fuels security crises around the world.

Link Copied
By Sarah Chayes
Published on Jan 16, 2015
Program mobile hero image

Program

Democracy, Conflict, and Governance

The Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program is a leading source of independent policy research, writing, and outreach on global democracy, conflict, and governance. It analyzes and seeks to improve international efforts to reduce democratic backsliding, mitigate conflict and violence, overcome political polarization, promote gender equality, and advance pro-democratic uses of new technologies.

Learn More

Source: NPR’s All Things Considered

Sarah Chayes talks to NPR’s Audie Cornish about how corruption can create the fertile ground for religious extremism. Chayes’ new book is Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security.

This interview was originally broadcast on NPR’s All Things Considered.

About the Author

Sarah Chayes

Former Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program

Sarah Chayes is internationally recognized for her innovative thinking on corruption and its implications. Her work explores how severe corruption can help prompt such crises as terrorism, revolutions and their violent aftermaths, and environmental degradation.

    Recent Work

  • Commentary
    China Financial Markets test

      Sarah Chayes

  • Paper
    Fighting the Hydra: Lessons From Worldwide Protests Against Corruption

      Sarah Chayes

Sarah Chayes
Former Senior Fellow, Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program
Sarah Chayes
Political ReformDemocracyEconomy

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  •  A machine gun of a Houthi soldier mounted on a police vehicle next to a billboard depicting the U.S. president Donald Trump and Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, during a protest staged to show support to Iran against the U.S.-Israel war on March 27, 2026 in Sana'a, Yemen.
    Collection
    The Iran War’s Global Reach

    As the war between the United States, Israel, and Iran continues, Carnegie scholars contribute cutting-edge analysis on the events of the war and their wide-reaching implications. From the impact on Iran and its immediate neighbors to the responses from Gulf states to fuel and fertilizer shortages caused by the effective shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz, the war is reshaping Middle East alliances and creating shockwaves around the world. Carnegie experts analyze it all.

  •  A machine gun of a Houthi soldier mounted on a police vehicle next to a billboard depicting the U.S. president Donald Trump and Mohammed Bin Salman, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, during a protest staged to show support to Iran against the U.S.-Israel war on March 27, 2026 in Sana'a, Yemen.
    Article
    Amid Iran War, Gulf Countries Slow the Pace of Reforms

    The return of war as the organizing factor in Middle Eastern politics has predictable consequences: governments are prioritizing regime stability and becoming averse to political and social reform.

      • Sarah Yerkes

      Sarah Yerkes, Amr Hamzawy

  • A person faces away from the camera wearing a yellow jacket with "PRESS" printed across the back
    Paper
    The Impact of Ending U.S. International Media Assistance

    The future looks bleak for independent media worldwide, but there is a robust infrastructure of knowledge, organizations, and people to build upon.

      Daniel Sabet, Susan Abbott

  • Hundreds of members and supporters of the ruling Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) join Prime Minister Dorin Recean during a pro-EU rally on the final day of the electoral campaign in Chisinau, Moldova, on September 26, 2025.
    Paper
    Alarm or Caution? Defending Democracy During Backsliding

    Defenders of democracy often split over perceptions, methods, urgency levels, and priorities.

      • Murat Somer

      Murat Somer, Jennifer McCoy

  • The tops of people's heads. Raised above their heads are "No Kings" signs, an upside-down American flag, and a rainbow flag.
    Commentary
    Emissary
    Protests Like No Kings Can Only Go So Far to Stem Authoritarianism

    Lessons from other backsliding democracies show that mass mobilization needs to feed into an electoral strategy. 

      Saskia Brechenmacher, Shreya Joshi

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600Fax: 202 483 1840
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.