Diaspora and Soft Power

Influence of Indian American Elites in US Foreign Policy

Eva Loreng

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2025
• Print ISBN: 9783031917691
• eBook ISBN: 9783031917707
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Politics
• Index: Social Sciences

This book, based on in-depth field interviews, takes a fresh look at the phenomenon of diaspora communities exercising ‘soft power’ in the context of the Indian American diaspora in the US. By using an interdisciplinary approach, it marks a departure from the traditional study that measures the effectiveness of soft power sources by their popularity. Instead, it acknowledges the matrix of socio-economic and political factors, both internationally and domestically, which contribute towards the evolution of diaspora as a source of soft power. It focuses on how demography, policies and structural changes led to the evolution of an Indian American networking/strategic elite class. Exploring their participation in political fundraising and subsequent penetration into US foreign policymaking circles, this book analyses the foreign policy-related advocacy campaigns carried out by them and contributes to diaspora studies, foreign policy, international relations and political science.

Table of contents

• Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship
• Diaspora and Soft Power
• Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Contents
• About the Author
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Diaspora, Soft Power, and Foreign Policy
• 3. Indian Americans in the Colonial Era
• 4. The Cold War Years and the Indian Americans
• 5. Post-Cold War: The Changes in Global Order and Policies
• 6. Post-Cold War: The Transitions in the Indian American Community
• 7. The Prelude to the Deal
• 8. The Nuclear Deal
• 9. The Road Ahead
• Index1