Ethnic Lobbies and US Foreign Policy

Dozens of ethnic groups work determinedly to achieve specific policy goals in Washington, but to what degree do they actually wield power? Which groups are the most influential, and why? David Paul and Rachel Anderson Paul consider the relative impact of 38 ethnic lobbies to determine whether—and if so, how—they affect the course of US foreign policy.

Paul and Paul systematically examine the impact of ethnic-group influence in six policy areas: aid, immigration, human rights, security, trade, and energy. They also compare the influence of ethnic lobbies to that of other actors, including business groups, the media, and foreign lobbyists. Challenging the conventional wisdom, the authors effectively draw on both qualitative and quantitative methods to shed needed light on this often heatedly contentious subject.