The Straw

The straw that has almost broken my back came in the current issue of Foreign Affairs. The back to which I refer is my wish not to believe that this country is controlled by conspiracies. The straw is an article entitled "Diplomacy, Inc." by John Newhouse. The diplomacy discussed is that engendered by lobbies, specifically lobbies for foreign countries.

AIPAC is well-known for its influence in matters concerning Israel; they've been around so long it's relatively easy to accept their existence and bemoan their influence. What really frosted me was learning of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans. Yet, the author claims that their influence is second only to that of AIPAC. In today's world, you'd expect the major lobbyists to have a web site and the Congressional caucus does not disappoint. Would you believe that 152 of our Congressmen are members of this caucus? That's almost 35% of the lower house that has a large say in determining the fate of this country. Apparently, Senators are not as interested in India as the web site lists 37 senators (a larger percentage, I know), but that was as of 2005; the congressional site is current.

Yes, India is a major player in the world and we need to be aware of what's going on there and how we should try to shape our relationship. But does belonging to this caucus make Barney Frank or Bill Delahunt, the leading members of the Massachusetts delegation, more aware of what should be done? I can't see how they would get anything but propaganda - and , most importantly, money - from the people who run the caucus. Are there so many Indians in Massachusetts that they constitute a strong voting bloc? I would not expect many Indians (other than American Indians) to live here on the Vineyard, but my experience living on and visiting the mainland tells me that there are not enough to be considered as even a weak voting bloc.

I must confess that, until recently, I have been an admirer of Congressman Frank. However, I've never really studied his record in depth. His actions re OneUnited Bank certainly would give anyone pause. Some of his comments and actions as chair of the Committee on Financial Services have certainly not been of the quality a dispassionate observer would prefer.

Newhouse does not stop with Jews or Indians. He reports on the doings of lobbyists for the former Soviet republics, Turkey and China. Newhouse sees the result of all this lobbying as a "privatization of U.S. foreign policy". In his words, "Over the past several years, however, these governments (the lobbying countries) have lost that confidence (that we would redirect our foreign policy back to a sensible course). They have learned that the control of policy, once lost, may not be restored to capable, disinterested hands. Instead, they see a uniquely American habit of sustaining the democratic process with money; they see a broad and deepening pattern of corrupt and corruptible members of Congress making self-serving deals with lobbyists working for foreign entities." (emphasis mine)