Taiwanese American Grassroots Lobbies on the Hill : a Case Study of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs

Abstract

This paper explores the factors that have influenced the effectiveness of Taiwanese American grassroots lobbies on Capitol Hill through a case study of the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), a notable non-state actor that has been actively advancing Taiwanese interests in the United States since 1982. I undertake a comparative analysis of FAPA's five campaigns: its request to the Taiwan government to lift its blacklist policy, its urging of the U.S. government to allow Taiwanese Americans to state "Taiwan" as their place of birth on their U.S. passports, its promotion of Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations, and its campaign in favor of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act (TSEA) in 2000. The direct result of this analysis indicates that FAPA's success does not solely lie in its ability to find a champion in Congress, or to win the U.S. president's support. Equally important is the nature of the issues that FAPA campaigns bring up. If an issue resonates or is compatible with the preexisting collective identities and beliefs of the actors it affects, it is more likely to be pushed through in the legislature.