International Migration and Globalization of Domestic Politics

This book considers the impact of migrant communities on the politics of their home nations, with case studies from Israel, Turkey, Kurdistan, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Sri Lanka.

Increasing international migration, the information revolution and democratization have propelled a globalization of the domestic politics of many states and, although diasporic politics is not new, emigrant political participation in homeland politics has grown as well as adapted to the new methods of the information revolution. This book examines the participation of emigrants in their home country politics. It considers the consequences of such participation for domestic and foreign policies in both host and home country, and explores the theoretical implications for democracy, nationalism, the state and the shape of world politics in the future. It includes detailed case studies of Turkish emigrants in Europe, the US and Saudi Arabia, Kurds in Europe, Israeli emigrants and the American Jewish community, Mexicans in the US, Chinese throughout the Pacific Rim, Indians in the US and Russians who found themselves outside Russia when the Soviet Union collapsed.

By providing extensive documentation of emigrant political activity with significant impact on homeland politics and foreign policies, this work provides ammunition to the argument that international migration, globalization and transnational phenomena pose serious challenges to the state and the international system of states. It will be of interest to anthropologists, sociologists and area studies specialists as well as political science and international relations scholars.