Ken Silverstein

Almost without exception, governments around the world pay American lobbyists to represent their interests, sway public opinion, and influence political decisions.

On Tuesday, Riz speaks with Ken Silverstein, a journalist who posed as an employee of a shady London-based energy firm with a stake in Turkmenistan. He reveals how two lobbying firms proposed to whitewash the image of that country's Stalinist regime.

Silverstein is the Washington editor of Harper's, and he details his undercover adventure in the July edition of the magazine.

What do these lobbyists do for these governments, including the not-so-democratic ones? How do they orchestrate support? And how much accountability do people have over the lobbies?