Influence of Ethnic Lobbies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Influence of Ethnic Lobbies - Essay Example This influence and the potential imbalance of â€Å"rights and interests† in extreme cases may lead to conflict that may tear apart the delicate mechanism of democracy. This will be explored further. American Foreign Affairs and Ethnic Lobbies The issue of the inequity of power distribution and influence amongst various groups has been rigorously debated in the United States since the inception of the pluralist democracy, according to Smith (5) and recognizes that polarizing influences will always exist within the structure of a pluralistic democracy (6). When looked at in the context of American foreign policy Smith argues that at different occasions different ethnic lobby groups with different agenda’s have had an undue influence on American foreign policy decisions, which may not necessarily have been in the interest of the nation as a whole. Smith identifies three ways through which ethnic lobbies gain influence in American foreign policy: by acquiring votes, financ ing campaigns of politicians and by organizing and mobilizing the ethnic community to which it belongs. History of Ethnic Lobbies & Measuring The Effect A country with as ethnically diverse a population as the United States of America has encountered various forms of ethnic activism and foreign policy lobbying for various at ends throughout its history. The period of World War 1, in particular, was a deeply polarizing era, during which many different ethnicities in America had differing allegiances in the conflict. Jewish Americans had begun to develop a strong lobby by acquiring control over financial resources and media in the form of newspapers. Having initially supported Germany, they began to support Britain after the Balfour Declaration. During the period after the war, ethnic lobbies began to exert increasing amounts of influence. Examples included America’s reluctance to actively participate in the League of Nations through Irish American lobbying, the ascendancy of t he Republican party due to German American support and America’s â€Å"isolationism† of the 1930’s influenced by Mussolini supporting Italian Americans (Smith, 53). It must be clarified, however, that even though lobbying has a great deal of influence on many American foreign policy decisions, it is not the sole determinant. In fact, Smith states that the problem is one of â€Å"measurement†, and that in order, to measure the effect of lobbying, the activities of the lobbies must be inspected in isolation and in competition with contradictory forces (124). Jewish American Lobby The Jewish American lobby has managed to maintain a strong presence in American polity since the beginning of the 20th century, its influence has grown gradually and it can now boast of almost unrelenting American support in almost all matters, that it concerns itself with. The ultimate goal of the Jewish American lobby in the modern day scenario is the unconditional support of Isr ael. In the early 1980’s President, Ronald Reagan managed to garner just enough support in Congress to allow an arms deal with Saudi Arabia.

Political Parties Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Political Parties - Research Paper Example In consideration of the American political organization, a discussion on decentralization will be elaborated as the basic trait of the American political party system. Furthermore, it deliberates the state political party organization in the U.S. Definition of Political Parties Political parties are defined as groups of organized individuals who obtain and perform political power. They refer to political organizations that attempt to influence or administer governance by trying to elect their own candidate for a political position. They often take part in election campaigns and political debates. These groups of people possess ideals or vision manifested in a party program. This program is supported by a platform which contains particular objectives. These parties form a coalition in support of its platform although interests differ at some point in time (Katz and Crotty 6). In the U.S., there are two political parties that dominate the nation’s political system, namely, the D emocrats and Republicans. The two political parties had elected their own candidates for the presidency since 1852 had and governed U.S. Congress since 1856 (â€Å"Democratic-Republican Party†). The Democratic Party is the eldest among all political parties in the world. This party’s ideals lean more on economic matters. The economic ideals and platform of this party was greatly influenced by former U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt in 1932. This political party obtained the most number of affiliated members in 2004 wherein it garnered about 72 million American supporters. The incumbent president Barack Obama is the 15th president to be under this political party. Significantly, it also became the majority party in the senate since 2006. In 2011, the supporters for this political party had declined in number, but still remains to be larger than its counterpart, the Republicans (Wagner 56). The Republican Party became prominent when Abraham Lincoln won the presidential elections in 1860. This political party champions the platform of American conservatism. It pushes more on fiscal and social conservative ideals, alongside liberal ideologies on economics. The last Republican president to hold office was former President George W. Bush. In terms of the presidency, this political party has succeeded in putting 19 presidents in the White House under its organization as compared to the Democrats who have been close in winning 15 presidential seats (Anderson 45). Aside from these two prominent political parties in the U.S., there are other political parties that exist which are known as the major third parties, which include Constitution Party, Green Party, and Libertarian Party. The Constitution Party’s platform focuses on ideals that are based from the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Bible. The platform of the Green Party involves more on environmentalism while the Libertarian Party upholds the philosophy of libertarianism (Maisel and Berry 75). Functions of Political Party System The main point of political parties is to group individuals together, who hold the same ideals toward the government. These individuals coordinate their efforts in electing their own candidate to hold a position in the government in order to push their respective platforms to realization. The U.S. has a two-political party system, which consist of Democrats and Republicans. Despite having the existence of minor parties in the political scene, none have succeeded in