Diaspora as a Soft Power resource for the country of origin. A comparative study of Maltese Emigrants in Australia and Brussels A dissertation presented to the Faculty of Arts in part- fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree in International Relations (Honors) at the University of Malta. Alfred Tabone May 2015 i University of Malta University of Malta Library – Electronic Thesis & Dissertations (ETD) Repository The copyright of this thesis/dissertation belongs to the author. The author’s rights in respect of this work are as defined by the Copyright Act (Chapter 415) of the Laws of Malta or as modified by any successive legislation. Users may access this full-text thesis/dissertation and can make use of the information contained in accordance with the Copyright Act provided that the author must be properly acknowledged. 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No portion of this work has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or institution of learning. ___________________ __________________ __________________ Name of Student (in Caps) Signature of Student Date iii Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 2 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................................................. 5 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 What is a ‘Diaspora’? ..................................................................................................................... 6 2.3 The Role of Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in Diasporic Movements ....................................... 7 2.4 Soft Power and Small States .......................................................................................................... 8 2.5 Diaspora and the development of Foreign Affairs ......................................................................... 9 2.6 Major empirical differences between the different generations and Diasporic Communities ... 13 2.7 What links these Maltese immigrants to their home state? ....................................................... 17 2.8 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 20 3 THEORETICAL DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................... 22 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 23 3.2 Diaspora and International Relations Theory .............................................................................. 23 3.3 Soft Power and Diasporic Movements ......................................................................................... 25 3.4 Transnational Belonging: A one generation Phenomenon? ........................................................ 27 3.4.1 What is Transnational Belonging? ........................................................................................ 27 3.4.2 When can this theory be best applied? ............................................................................... 28 3.5 Realism, Liberalism, Constructivism and Diaspora ...................................................................... 29 3.5.1 Realism and Diaspora ........................................................................................................... 29 3.5.2 Liberalism and Diaspora ....................................................................................................... 30 3.5.3 Constructivism and Diaspora ............................................................................................... 30 3.6 Push and Pull Factors Theorem .................................................................................................... 31 3.6.1 Push Factors ......................................................................................................................... 31 3.6.2 Pull Factors ........................................................................................................................... 33 3.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 34 4 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................................................................... 35 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 36 4.2 Research Design ........................................................................................................................... 36 iii 4.2.1 Desk-based research and archive research.......................................................................... 37 4.2.2 Case study Methodology and Comparative analyses .......................................................... 38 4.2.3 Interviews ............................................................................................................................. 38 4.3 Where do I fit in the picture? ....................................................................................................... 40 4.4 Strengths and Limitations ............................................................................................................ 41 5 CASE STUDY 1 ....................................................................................................................................... 43 5.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 44 5.2 Different Waves of Maltese Diaspora: A background .................................................................. 45 5.3 Theory of Reciprocity ................................................................................................................... 48 5.3.1 Post-Second World War Wave of Migration to Australia .................................................... 48 5.3.2 Post-EU Membership Wave of Migration to Belgium .......................................................... 49 5.4 Effects of the Return Migration on the Maltese Islands .............................................................. 53 5.4.1 Maltese-Australian migrants ................................................................................................ 53 5.4.2 Maltese-Belgian Migrants .................................................................................................... 55 5.5 Issue of Double Citizenship for Migrants ..................................................................................... 57 5.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 59 6 CASE STUDY 2 ....................................................................................................................................... 61 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 62 6.2 Issue of Maltese Foreign Policy and Diaspora Groups ................................................................. 62 6.3 How strong is the current sense of belonging in these Diaspora Groups? .................................. 65 6.4 What are the various challenges faced by Diaspora Groups to the main relationship with their country of origin? ..................................................................................................................................... 68 6.5 Issue of Votes and the Voting System .......................................................................................... 71 6.6 Issue of CFMLA ............................................................................................................................. 72 6.7 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 75 7 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................................ 77 7.1 Concluding Remarks ..................................................................................................................... 78 8 BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................................................................... 83 9 APPENDIXES ......................................................................................................................................... 91 9.1 Appendix 1 .................................................................................................................................. 92 9.2 Appendix 2 .................................................................................................................................