World Projects
United States
BUSINESSES, PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES, GOVERNORS, CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES AND NGOS.
SELECT POLITICAL CLIENTS:
Newt Gingrich for President (2012)
People Party of Somalia’s Presidential Race
Chris Gibson for Congress (2011)
Steve Forbes for President (1996 & 2000) – SAI began handling the petition process and soon took over role as Deputy National Political Director
New York State Governor George Pataki (1998 and 2002)
Doug Hoffman for Congress (2009)
Congressman Hamilton Fish, Jr.
New York Senate Campaign Committee
Various state and local candidates
SELECT ORGANIZATIONS:
Oriska Jobs and Careers Center
New York State Bridge Authority – assisted with fare-hike communication
New Yorkers for Growth
United States Postal Service
Mid-Hudson Addiction Recovery Centers
BetterLeadershipAmerica.org
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Hungarian Human Rights Foundation
Association of Automobile Manufacturers
SELECT CORPORATE CLIENTS:
ProOrbis – Assisted with PR related to the International Space Station
IBM
General Electric
St. Lawrence Cement
PDQ Manufacturing
Eastern Europe
POLITICAL PARTIES OF EASTERN EUROPE’S NEW DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM AND EMERGING BUSINESS INTERESTS
HUNGARY – SAI created and operated an internal communications team for the Government of Prime Minister Jozsef Antall overseeing such tasks as handling media and communications with the international community when Hungary was accused of breaking an arms embargo during the Bosnian War and assisting Hungary’s Privatization Ministry in developing a campaign to sell the concept of privatization. SAI later went on to advise and manage the election campaign for Hungarian Democratic Forum consulting for Prime Minister Peter Boross.
SAI developed and operated the Survival In A Democracy project aimed at assisting members of the Federation of Young Democrats and Christian Democrats among other democratic parties.
SAI has assisted pharmaceutical firms in fighting unfair legislation in Hungary.
SAI helped the government of Hungary when the international community accused it of illegally selling arms to Croatia during an arms embargo during the Bosnian War.
BOSNIA – Following the Dayton Peace Accord, SAI assisted the multi-ethnic Alternative Council of Ministers in its effort to campaign against the Serb, Croat and Muslim nationalist parties. Mayor of Tusla, Bosnia
Pictured above SAI with Tusla Mayor, Bosnia
ROMANIA – Assisted Democratic Coalition with strategy and tactics for election against Illiescu .
SLOVAKIA – Aided minority parties within the Party of Co-Existence in election campaign against Meciar.
GERMANY – SAI advised the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) on strategy for reaching post-communist voters from the former East German republic in preparation for Chancellor Kohl’s re-election campaign.
Middle East/Africa
POLITICAL PARTIES, BUSINESS ASSOCIATIONS AND BUSINESSES
SOMALIA – SAI worked with the People’s Party of Somalia and Presidential Candidate Said Mohamud in 2012 when the United Nations held the first election since the 1998 government was toppled.
Pictured above is Odescalchi introducing US Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich to Somali Presidential Candidate Said Mohamud from the People’s Party of Somalia.
IRAQ – Working with the Center for International Private Enterprise, SAI assisted political parties with the fundamentals of developing economic party platforms in advance of up-coming elections and facilitated early coalition possibilities among the various political parties. Also, working with business and trade groups, SAI facilitated a coalition building and advocacy program. For an article inspired by this project, click here.
More recently SAIPR helped a Greek Oil company invest in an oil services company in Iraq.
SCIRI member of Parliament
Pictured above is a member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution of Iraq with SAI President, Daniel Odescalchi.
LEBANON – Worked within the March 14th Coalition and Christian parties to strengthen their political base within Lebanon.
Democracy Building Projects
Strategic Advantage International has taken the tools long applied in Western democracies and modified them to function effectively in emerging democracies around the world… including Hungary, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovakia, and the Middle East. Although these skills were mostly dedicated to help a specific political party achieve an electoral victory, SAI has also developed democracy building skills. Democracy building has become a personal passion for Strategic Advantage International.
In the mid-nineties, SAI founded the program “Survival In A Democracy” to assist new democratic parties in the emerging democracies. SAI received funding for the program from 13 various international foundations. See Survival in a Democracy for further details.
SAI has consulted the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) to help establish responsive government and business NGO’s within Iraq. Working with Iraqi elected officials and CIPE, SAI developed the Handbook of Economic Party Platforms to give Iraq political parties the tools to respond to society’s policy needs. We have assisted Iraqi Chambers of Commerce in defining their policy needs and lobbying elected officials to implement specific policy initiatives.