Watching the Waltz: Interstate Group Ties and Foreign Policy Protests

• In Event: How Contentious Domestic Politics Shape Foreign Policy

Abstract

What domestic audiences care enough about foreign policy to press their governments for change? I argue shared ties (religious, ethnic or threat) between domestic and international groups motivate interest in foreign policy and mobilize actual protest action from domestic groups as they serve to make the policies more salient. I test my argument through an original dataset looking at the protest activity in a variety of countries over time, specifically focusing on what type of groups protest for or against foreign policy action. I support my argument further with qualitative elite interviews which stress the importance of protests in influencing elite action on foreign policy. In preliminary work so far I have strong support for my argument of shared ties, especially the impact of diaspora/ethnic ties on motivating and mobilizing protest.

Author

• Caitlin McCulloch, University of Maryland