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So, ceteri paribus, a lobby pushing for a foreign policy course has a much greater chance of success than a lobby pushing for a domestic policy course. This explains, in a large part, the power of the IL inasmuch as the US foreign policy is concerned. The case of the Cuban lobby further proves this point. It is much weaker than the Israeli lobby, yet it successfully pushes for a US policy toward Cuba that not only alienates the US from much of Latin America, but it is against US economic interests as well. This demonstrates that the power of a lobby per se is not a deciding factor in the success or failure of its pressure.
Surely the success and power of a lobby in pushing for a foreign policy course is a function of its strength as a domestic lobby. The Israel lobby can play an important role in getting people elected and re-elected and so can the anti_Castro lobby. This is why both have so much power to determine foreign policy. While U.S. foreign policy towards Cuba and Palestine may be against broader U.S. interests it is in the interests of lawmakers facing the electorate. \ Cheers, ken