In general, alleged pension conflicts like those the SEC are looking into can take several forms, but they all come back to the sway consultants exercise over pension trustees.

FORBES: U.S. Institute Senior Delegates�� Roundtable Speech (June 7, 2004 )

Likewise, Adam Smith penned his grand defense of free trade to beat back the mercantilist ideologies that held sway in 18th century Europe.

FORBES: Magazine Article

If they can back this up with useful knowledge, they can sway policy.

ECONOMIST: Where the influential people meet and talk

And that's likely to sway Likud into nominating the man Barak beat in 1999 to take back the government for the party of the right.

CNN: Why Barak gambled on an election