A foreign agent is anyone who actively carries out the interests
of a foreign country while located in another host country,
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 t