Ethnic Groups and U.S. Foreign Policy Edited by Mohammed E. Ahrari; New York: Greenwood Press, 1987.

Abstract

Collections of essays or articles do not often get reviewed in scholarly
journals. One reason why these books are bypassed by reviewers is the absence
of a running theme in the volumes. The book under review fortunately does
have a connecting theme: the efforts of various ethnic Americans to influence
foreign policy on behalf of countries or commuruties. The examples most
familiar to political scientists are those of Jewish Americans for Israel and
Afro-Americans for South African Blacks. Three contributors focus on the
Middle East, two on central America, and one each on South Africa, PoJand,
and Ireland. The major conclusion of the book seems to be that cohesive
ethnic groups canvassing on behalf of single countries (Jews for Israel) are
likely to be most successful, whereas Arab Americans or Blacks trying to
influence U.S. foreign policy on a whole block of countries in the Middle
East or Africa are less likely to be successful. The editor, Mohammad Ahrari,
has written a very insightful conclusion, and. as with his other books (OPEC,
the Failing Giant, and The Dynamics of Oil Diplomacy) has broken new ground
in the emerging field of ethnic influences on foreign policies. One hopes
that he will be able to give attention to the cases of lobbies like those of
the Greeks, Armenians, Sikhs and Asian Indian Muslims settled in America ...