My interest in ethno-national diasporism and diasporas predates the now widely recognized cultural, social, political, and economic importance of those entities. It also predates the current increased academic interest in the nature, scope, and influence of such diasporas. Thus, whereas most observers were inclined to dismiss this phenomenon as marginal, on the wane, and uninteresting, I thought differently. Now, as I have argued throughout the past two decades, it is widely recognized that no serious discussion of current national, regional, and global politics can ignore those entities and their various roles.

Initially my attention was drawn to this phenomenon while I was researching and writing about Israeli foreign policy prior to and after the establishment of the Jewish state. This was not accidental. Because the Jewish diaspora was an important factor in the development of the Yishuv (the Jewish community in Palestine prior to 1948), in the 1948 war, and in the creation of Israel and its development, Yishuv and Israeli leaders had to take it into account when shaping their foreign policies and implementing them.

Although I had been aware of the importance of ethnic considerations in politics and in the motivations of various states, especially of Israel, when they formulate and implement their foreign policies, still I was surprised to learn of the complexity of this issue and the great ambivalence shown by Israeli politicians and officials toward the Jewish diaspora.