| To what extent are ethnic minority groups in the United States able to influence decision making in the area of foreign policy? Existing studies of diasporic influence have been largely descriptive and have tended to reach conflicting conclusions about the nature and scope of influence. In order to provide a more definitive response to the research question, I undertake a theoretical and methodological review of existing contributions to the literature. At the theoretical level, I argue that the study of ethnic identity group influence is best understood in the context of broader interest group theory. At the methodological level, I employ a series of quantitative, experimental, and qualitative techniques in an attempt to isolate the impact of ethnic identity groups on U.S. foreign policy analysis. In general, my findings indicate that ethnic identity groups are able to influence U.S. foreign policy. However, the level of influence is conditioned by several factors, including group organization, political activity, issue salience and the target of the influence attempt. Overall, the current study adds to the existing literature by refining existing theory by placing it in the proper context. |
