| This thesis analyzes the role of Indian American lobby in the US and its influence on USforeign policy towards India and the region. It also introduces how some ethnic interestgroups and organizations may be able to influence the foreign policy of democratic nations.Lobbying describes a practice of attempting to influence or change government decisions.Lobbying is a common practice in the United States, where the ethnicity based competitionfor political influence was started in the early20thcentury. During recent years the Indian-American lobby is establishing itself as a strong and influential group of lobbying which isalso deeply interconnected with the government of homeland. The Indian-American lobbygot it place on the list of the strongest lobbies in the US (Such as Israel, Greece, Ireland) afterinfluencing on some of the decisions made on US-India bilateral relations and became on ofthe key players on Capitol Hill with its big caucus. Through a multiple case study analysis,this thesis illustrates the considerable influence of the Indian lobby and offers some insightinto the likely future of lobbying by India and other ethnic groups. The success of ethnicinterest group lobbies in the United States is a controversial issue. Much of the researchliterature has focused upon the success of the Jewish lobby, which has long been recognizedas the most powerful ethnic group lobby in Washington, D.C. The high profile of the Jewishlobby has caused some critics to question whether ethnic group lobbies are exerting too muchinfluence over American foreign policy. The Indian lobby has increased in size and influence,yet to date, little scholarly attention has been directed toward understanding the motivations,strategies and goals of the Indian lobby.This thesis aims to improve understanding of Indian ethnic lobbies in the United States.By studying the ascendancy of the Indian lobby, it aims to improve scholarly understandingof the Indian lobby in particular. In addition, the increased understanding of the Indian lobbymay offer insight into the broader topic of the formation, goals and organization of ethniclobbies operating in Washington, D.C. the thesis also employs a multiple case study analysis.Five cases of Indian ethnic group lobbying will be examined. The analysis of these five casestudies will search to identify particular trends and similarities distinguishing the lobbyingbehaviors and the policy outcomes. In addition, the multiple case study analysis in chapter4will attempt to identify any major differences that distinguish the five cases, such as the specific lobbying groups involved or the tactics used to exert influence. This methodology isjustified due to the ability of the case study method to incorporate theories within theframework. What I found significant for this research consists of three points: First of all,India is an emerging world power. The role of the Indian lobby in the United States for thestatus of its homeland is critical for understanding how an emergent India is likely to act onthe world stage. Second, the ongoing India-Pakistan rivalry is volatile. The possessions ofnuclear weapons by these states make their foreign policy behaviors a matter of interest fornations around the world, including the United States. The role of the Indian lobby could aidthe United States in better its position as a diplomatic arbiter in the region. Finally, the Indianlobby has the potential to play a role in garnering cooperation between the United States andIndia, the world’s largest democracy.As democracies and especially the US, are open to interest groups and lobbyingorganizations’ impacting policy making, the Indian lobby (being one of the strongest ones inthe USA) has impacted the US foreign policy making toward India and its neighborhood. Therole of lobby shows that the domestic and foreign policies are interconnected and for theintention to affect the outcomes of foreign policy the states also have to emphasize on thedomestic structure and the factions inside the country. This thesis contributed to the existingbody of scholarly knowledge of the Indian lobby by analyzes five cases of lobby activity.These case study analysis permitted the identification of key trends or characteristics thathelp to distinguish and explain the goals, intent and strategies of the Indian ethnic grouplobbies acting within Washington D.C. to try to sway foreign policy. Thesis is divided intofive sections. The Introduction offers a brief history of the development of lobbying effortsgenerally and ethnic lobbying more specifically within the democratic American politicallandscape and also includes literature review which provides some scholars articles on thistheme then it comes to research questions, methodology and hypothesis. Then, Chapter2explores theoretical framework of this study by defining applied theories: Ambrosio’s EthnicInterest Group Theory and. Chapter3discusses the Indian Community, Lobbying andAdvocating Groups in the United States, Chapter4is focused upon cases and analysis,fivespecific policy victories of the Indian lobby in Washington then it comes proving hypothesisand conclusion. This thesis will explore the following research questions: What are the goalsof the Indian ethnic group lobbies operating in the United States or do the different lobbiesshare common goals or are they divided by different interests (for example, domestic economic success versus foreign policy achievements)? What factor or factors contribute tothe political success of Indian ethnic group lobbies in the United States? What are the futurelikely activities of the Indian lobby in the United States, can the past activities of the lobby beused to predict future actions?... |
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