%0 Journal Article
%T Authoritarian emigration states: Soft power and cross
%A Gerasimos Tsourapas
%J International Political Science Review
%@ 1460-373X
%D 2018
%R 10.1177/0192512118759902
%X Can labor emigration form part of a state¡¯s foreign policy goals? The relevant literature links emigration to states¡¯ developmental needs, which does not explain why some states choose to economically subsidize their citizens¡¯ emigration. This article explores for the first time the soft power importance of high-skilled emigration from authoritarian emigration states. It finds that the Egyptian state under Gamal Abdel Nasser employed labor emigration for two distinct purposes linked to broader soft power interests: first, as an instrument of cultural diplomacy to spread revolutionary ideals of Arab unity and anti-imperialism across the Middle East; second, as a tool for disseminating development aid, particularly in Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa. Drawing on Arabic and non-Arabic primary sources, the article identifies the interplay between foreign policy and cross-border mobility, while also sketching an evolving research agenda on authoritarian emigration states¡¯ policy-making
%K Soft power
%K diasporas
%K Egypt
%K Middle East
%K authoritarianism
%K migration
%K case study
%K Arab¨CIsraeli conflict
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0192512118759902