The American government has outlawed bribes in foreign parts as well as inside its own jurisdiction. This contrasts with Russia where corruption is serious and with China which seems pretty much indifferent to foreign shenanigans. They are active in Africa, developing mines as sources, making themselves less dependent on civilized countries. This is a real priority.
It is possible that the promoters of American law are trying to weaken its ability to compete in foreign markets. There are other forces acting to its detriment.
Of course corruption is still widespread. Of course politicians still have their fingers in the till all the way up to the armpits. The example of Blair is a case in point. He shut down the investigation of the Al Yamamah Job.
Kenneth Clarke, the fat lump who is responsible for the law in Her Majesty's Government is very keen on doing nothing about bribery. The Americans are not amused.
Private Eye, the honest part of the main stream media as distinct from the rest tells about the firms that have paid millions by way of fines to the Americans. They do this without admitting liability or taking their chances in court where they would be looking at prison sentences for directors. Here are some of the results from PE 1285/29
Year Firm Fine 2006 Statoil $21 million 2008 Siemens $800 million 2010 Daimler $185 million 2010 ABB $39.3 million 2010 Royal Dutch Shell $48 million 2010 BAE $400 million 2010 Alcatel-Lucent $137 million 2011 IBM $10 million