WASHINGTON: The AARP is ramping up to become a major player in the global debate over issues related to the aged and elderly.

While the 35 million-member AARP has become one of the most powerful - and even feared - politically engaged advocacy groups in the US, the group has not made an effort to extend its considerable influence beyond America's borders.

The AARP has tapped trans-Atlantic PR boutique Brown Lloyd James to introduce the group to international political and media decision ...