Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The paper examines comparatively the fears-allegations-perceptions of dual loyalty regarding Americans of various ethnicities, especially those of Latino/Hispanic descent. Concerning U.S. foreign policy, charges of dual loyalty (supposed excessive emotional attachment by an American citizen to a foreign country) surface commonly in the context of espionage, counterespionage, war and terrorism. Less visiby, the issue affects such matters as immigration policy, travel, civil liberties, government personnel practices, and (ultimately)the stability and inclusiveness of a multiethnic democracy. Indeed, the paper's conceptual linchpin is the oft-noted tension between ethnic identity (separateness) and American patriotism (assimilation). Questions include: What are general public and elite attitudes on dual loyalty? What explains these attitudes? How might dual loyalty suppositions influence the conduct of U.S. foreign policy toward (say) Mexico or Cuba, recruitment into the national security bureaucracy, and the role of ethnic Americans in their countries of origin?