States and Transnational Actors: Who’s Influencing Whom? A Case Study in Jewish Diaspora Politics during the Cold War

Abstract

Transnational actors are often assumed to be autonomous in their attempts to influence states. But whenever both share common interests, opportunities for mutual influences exist and states can try to use transnational actors to further their own objectives. Whereas the theoretical discussion in IR has largely overlooked this possibility, it is no stranger to scholars of diasporas and nationalism. Informed by this literature, we apply our notion of state-influenced non-governmental organizations to the field of transnational diaspora politics with its complex relationships between diasporas and their homeland and host states. Our historical case study demonstrates how Israel, via its secret office ‘Nativ’, significantly influenced the Jewish diaspora and other transnational actors in the mobilization for Soviet Jewish emigration during the Cold War. States are thus not only targets of transnational actors — they can also influence and even initiate transnational movements. In our conclusion, we discuss why such reciprocal relationships should be generally taken into account in the study of transnational relations.