Trump's halt of US law banning business bribes abroad raises specter of a 'Wild West' of dealmaking

President Donald Trump's decision to pause enforcement of a law banning companies from bribing foreign government officials threatens to upend a half-century of U.S. policy embraced by both Republican and Democratic administrations. The executive order to freeze the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could help U.S. businesses win deals abroad. But it also could tarnish America’s image abroad, allow autocrats ruling over often impoverised people to get even richer and lead wealthy allies to weaken their own anti-bribery laws so their companies can make payments, too. Says anti-bribery law expert Mark Pieth, “We are facing a Wild West situation."