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Ethnic Lobbies and US Foreign Policy

David M. Paul and Rachel Anderson Paul
Ethnic Lobbies and US Foreign Policy
ISBN: 978-1-58826-609-5
$65.00
2008/261 pages/LC: 2008023386
"At long last.... A careful, empirically based study of the impact of a wide range of ethnic groups on US foreign policy. The authors have made an important contribution to our understanding of how this dimension of US politics works." —Tony Smith, Tufts University

"Comprehensive and well-researched.... A valuable contribution to the field."—Fereshteh Nouraie-Simone, Journal of American Ethnic History

DESCRIPTION

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David M. Paul is associate dean of student services and instruction at the Whidbey Island Campus of Skagit Valley College. Rachel Anderson Paul is visiting assistant professor at Western Washington Univeresity.

CONTENTS

  • Introduction.
  • Ethnic Groups in the United States.
  • Lobbying Strategies.
  • Accounting for Varying Levels of Clout.
  • The Most Influential Ethnic Lobbies.
  • The Comparative Influence of Ethnic Groups.
  • Reassessing the Power of Ethnic American Lobbies.
  • Appendixes.